Career

Since 2005 prescription drug abuse has become the leading cause of emergency room visits and deaths among “recreational drug users.” The rapid expansion of use of narcotics to treat non-malignant pain has led to significant availability of opiates for nonmedical purposes, and their rise to the pinnacle of prescription drug abuse. This presentation gave an overview of today’s commonly abused drugs – both prescription and non-prescription. Behaviors that are commonly touted as predictive of abuse will be divided into high-risk and low-risk groups to help the pharmacist better stratify potential candidates of abuse. As a primary driver of continued prescription drug abuse, the neurobiologic etiology of addiction will be reviewed and addressed as part of the solution of our evolving “pharmageddon.”