Misuse of medicines

• 01 Mar, 2022

• 5 Minute(s) to read

Taking a medicine in a way or dose different than recommended; taking someone else's prescription, even if it's for a genuine medical reason like pain; or taking a medication to experience euphoric are all examples of prescription drug misuse (i.e., to get high). These types of abuse are frequently referred to as "nonmedical use of prescription medications."

Misuse of prescription drugs can result in major health problems. Increased emergency department visits, overdose fatalities linked to prescription drugs, and treatment admissions for prescription drug use disorders, the most serious of which is addiction, have all been linked to increases in prescription drug usage during the previous 15 years.