Prescription Drug Abuse Is A Growing Concern

The American College of Emergency Physicians has issued a warning to parents regarding the dangers that accompany prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse is a growing concern because they are now the second most abused drugs, right behind marijuana. Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, said that, "Often when you hear that someone has overdosed on drugs you think of illegal substances, such as cocaine or heroin. But parents need to know that many young people are taking prescription drugs from the medicine cabinets. Many of the kids wrongly believe the drugs are not addictive, and they don't realize they can be lethal". Dr. Gardner is absolutely correct, many people who come into contact with prescription medicine are not aware of what the drug is capable of; this naivety plays a huge part in the number of overdoses each year.

In 2006, nearly three-quarters of a million people (741,425) needed emergency care as a result of prescription drug abuse. The drugs abused the most are pain killers, opiates like Oxycontin, Percocet, and Vicodin are the most commonly prescribed, but, they are many other pain killers that could be inside a parent's medicine cabinet. On top of pain killers, there are tranquilizers which are dangerous by themselves; mixing tranquilizers like Valium, Xanax, and Ativan with alcohol can be and often is a lethal combination. One could disagree with Dr. Gardner's statement that prescription drugs are only safe for the person they are prescribed for, only if they take the medicine as prescribed. Let's face it, you can take a medicine as prescribed and still wind up becoming dependent, it may take a little bit longer, but, sooner or later continued use will bring addiction. There are people who were prescribed morphine for 15 years, took the medicine as prescribed, and ended up having serious withdrawal symptoms when they stopped taking it. It doesn't matter how strong a narcotic is or whether you take the medicine as prescribed - narcotics are addictive.

Here are some warning signs that your child may be abusing prescription medications:

• Sudden changes in mood or personality
• Defensiveness
• Change in daily habits and appearance
• Usage increase
• Memory loss

Ketamine May Be Replacing Cocaine As The Street Drug of Choice

A new drug trend appears to be sweeping across part of Canada. Reports of Ketamine use, a fast-acting and powerful anesthetic and painkiller used in veterinary and human surgery have become far more frequent. In Hamilton, which is just across the border from Buffalo, New York, Ketamine may be replacing Cocaine as the street drug of choice according to authorities. Not only does Ketamine provide different effects than cocaine, it also has a smaller price tag at $10 to $20 a vile compared to Cocaine at $50 a gram. Younger people with limited financial resources may be swayed to buy Ketamine based on price alone. Another concern is that kids taking the drug may be under the opinion that they are doing Cocaine, failure to dose the drug properly could end tragically.

The price of Cocaine has skyrocketed in the past ten years, in the last three years the price of a kilogram of coke went up $30,000. At $59,000 a "key" it is not surprising that drug dealers have decided to sell a drug that they can acquire for cheaper and sell just as much. Ecstasy, like Ketamine or "K" as it has been dubbed, is another popular designer drug that has become very popular in the wake of inflated Cocaine prices. A pill of Ecstasy cost $5 now, high school students looking to do drugs are more inclined to buy cheaper drugs that at the end of the day are far more dangerous than Cocaine. Cocaine is and will always be more popular than designer drugs, it was the original club drug and will stay that way; however, there should be some concern when kids are messing with new drugs that they have really no way of knowing the actual contents.

According to statistics, Ketamine still ranks low in popularity amongst high school students, only about 2.2 percent report having used it. More than likely the percentage is higher than that, probably not much though; exposure to Ketamine has always been limited to raves and clubs, it generally has not been a "corner drug". Hopefully, this trend does not start to spread outside of Hamilton; Ketamine is a completely different drug than Cocaine. A person on Ketamine can be summed up in one word, "helpless"! You are not in charge of your body anymore, which if you are not at home taking the drug it can be quite dangerous because you cannot walk, talk, or take care yourself. "The effects begin about 30 seconds after an intravenous injection, 2 to 4 minutes after an intra-muscular injection, 5 to 10 minutes after snorting or intra nasal use and about 20 minutes after an oral dose on an empty stomach", stated Drug Text. Overdose can easily happen when people take the drug and think that it is not working and take more; what's worse, they get behind the wheel and think that they will drive somewhere only for the drug to take effect on the road. The drug acts very fast, it acts faster than most drugs that you can swallow.

Dr. Conrad Murray Prepares to Surrender Himself to Authorities

The Michael Jackson story moves forward as Dr. Conrad Murray prepares to surrender himself to authorities. Murray flew to Los Angeles from Houston, Texas last weekend, preparing to be charged with the death of the pop icon because of an anesthetic he administered to Jackson last June. Michael Jackson's death caused by an overdose of propofol, a strong pain medication generally only used in a hospital environment; the drug is a white liquid and has amnesic effects, it has been dubbed by medical professionals "milk of amnesia". Propofol was mixed with two benzodiazepines (sedatives) on the night that Jackson died; the combination was nothing new for Jackson who had been abusing medications for years. The death was ruled a homicide by the coroner's office, Dr. Murray is likely to be charged with involuntary manslaughter which can carry a sentence of four years maximum.

Dr Murray, a cardiologist, has always insisted that he gave the singer nothing that should have killed him. However, Propofol is a drug given before surgery, only to be administered in hospital settings by a professional anesthetist. There is no question whether or not Murray is culpable, rather, to what degree. Michael had been battling his addictions for years as well as severe anorexia, refusing treatment time and time again. Murray is just one doctor in a long list who have prescribed and administered unnecessary drugs to Jackson; the history here is extensive and it seems that more than just Murray are culpable. Addiction is ultimately what caused Jackson's death; he hired the physicians that provided his fix. Hopefully, if Murray is charged with manslaughter it will have an effect on other doctors and curb needless prescriptions merely to make a dollar. Thousands of people overdose from prescription medications, medicines that were not warranted by the patient.

"Prosecutors will have to show the doctor deviated from accepted medical norms when he administered propofol in a non-medical setting while Jackson already had other sedatives in his system. Ed Chernoff, Murray's lead lawyer, said: "I haven't received any phone call from anybody asking for the doctor to surrender. If we get the call, we'll be happy to"," reports the Telegraph.

What are your thoughts?

Celebrity Prescription Drug Related Deaths

2009 was a tragic year for many celebrities suffering from prescription drug addiction, echoing a much larger problem that exists in the world today. More people are addicted to prescription drugs than anything else and more people will certainly lose their lives as a result of these drugs. In the last two years prescription drugs have taken the lives of Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, and just last week we learned prescription drugs may have played a role in the death of Brittany Murphy. The cocktails of legal prescribed medications found near each late star at the time of their death was unbelievable; at what point are the prescribing doctors going to realize that sooner or later an overdose or drug related death will take place. In the last 45 years there have been a number of celebrity prescription drug related deaths:



Marilyn Monroe
Date: August 5, 1962
Drugs: Pentobarbital (AKA Nembutal) and chloral hydrate (sleeping pills)










Jimi Hendrix
Date: September 18, 1970
Drug: Secobarbital, AKA Seconal (sleeping pill)









Elvis Presley
Date: August 16, 1977
Drugs: As many as 14 different drugs, including codeine (painkiller) and methaqualone, AKA Quaaludes (sedative)









Keith Moon
Date: September 7, 1978
Drug: Clomethiazole, AKA Heminevrin (sedative)










Margaux Hemingway
Date: July 1, 1996
Drug: Phenobarbital (anti-seizure sedative)










Dana Plato
Date: May 8, 1999
Drugs: Carisoprodol, AKA Soma (muscle relaxant), and Vicodin (painkiller)









Chris Penn
Date: January 24, 2006
Drugs: Promethazine (antihistamine) and codeine (painkiller)










Gerald Levert
Date: November 10, 2006
Drugs: Six drugs: painkillers Vicodin, Percocet and Dextropropoxyphene (AKA Darvocet), sedative/anxiety medication alprazolam (AKA Xanax) and two non-prescription antihistamines








Anna Nicole Smith
Date: February 8, 2007
Drugs: Eleven drugs, including chloral hydrate (sleep aid) and several sedatives/muscle relaxants: clonazepam (AKA Klonopin), lorazepam (AKA Ativan), oxazepam (AKA Serax) and diazepam (AKA Valium)








Pimp C
Date: December 4, 2007
Drugs: Promethazine (antihistamine) and codeine (painkiller)










Fortunately, there are many stars that do seek help and go into treatment with the hope of freeing themselves from their addiction. Just last week Aerosmith's Steven Tyler checked into drug treatment for his prescription drug problem. With many musicians, like Steven Tyler and Michael Jackson, repeated injuries over the years have contributed to dependence on pain medication. Treatment is always available for those who find themselves dependent and there are many alternative pain management programs.

Gamma Butyrolactone or GBL , 'Coma in a Bottle'

New drugs that are harmful to your health are being created everyday. Drugs that are new and have not yet been tested by the government are falling into the hands of people who abuse them; this has caused many people a lot of concern, just because they are legal doesn't make them safe. The ease in which these drugs can be acquired is nothing short than alarming - just a few mouse clicks away. Gamma Butyrolactone or GBL , 'coma in a bottle', is one of the drugs in question that has authorities concerned. GBL is a paint stripper and rust remover and is harmless if used for those tasks, GBL is odorless and has no taste when it is diluted; people who have used the drug have reported that the effects are similar to ecstasy. Drugs like GBL leave very little room for error, if the dosage is not accurately measured then an overdose causing a comma or death will ensue. "'It's as if every muscle in the body is trying to work against each other,' said a young woman who has experienced and witnessed the side-effects of GBL", the Daily Mail reports.

Mephedrone is another drug that can be easily acquired that produces similar effects to methamphetamines and ecstasy. 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC), according to Darlington Drug and Alcohol Action Team it can cause: nose bleeds, nose burns, hallucinations, blood circulation problems, rashes, anxiety, paranoia fits, and delusions. BBC News reported that "one person who used the drug regularly for 18 months had to be admitted to a psychiatric unit after he started experiencing hallucinations, agitation, excitability and mania. Due to the short history of the use of Mephedrone nothing is known about long‐term effects".

New designer drugs like these are especially dangerous and already have caused numerous deaths. We can only assume that the longer drugs like these can be sold legally and attained easily more deaths will occur. Steps are being taken in several countries to make drugs like these illegal. We can only hope that this happens with haste in our country. Legal does not mean safe!

DJ AM's Death Was Ruled An Accidental Drug Overdose

The medical examiner came back with the report on Adam Goldstein's, DJ AM, death yesterday. The findings were in a way hard to believe, the lethal cocktail of drugs that were found in Goldstein's system were staggering. Despite initially appearing to be a suicide, DJ AM's death was ruled an accidental drug overdose. According to the Associated Press, "the toxicology report showed the 36-year-old had in his system cocaine, OxyContin, Hydrocodone or Vicodin, anti-anxiety drugs Xanax and Ativan, Klonopin which also controls anger, Benadryl, and Levamisole, a drug apparently used to cut cocaine". The actual dosage of each drug was not released, we can assume it was a lot of everything; his death was caused by what the medical examiner called, acute intoxication, due to the combined effects of the drugs. DJ AM had been struggling with his addiction for quite some time; he had, for a time, managed to stay sober until he recently relapsed just before his death. He had made the commitment to his recovery sponsor and his manager to go back into treatment when his life was cut short.

On Aug. 28 he was found in his apartment in New York City after a friend called 911. "Paramedics had to break down the door before they found him, shirtless and wearing sweat pants, in his bed around 5:20 p.m. Six pills were found in his stomach and a pill in his throat when he was found dead in his apartment. The pill in his throat appeared to be OxyContin. A crack pipe and prescription pill bottles were discovered there", stated the AP. DJ Am had been burned severely in an airplane crash last September in South Carolina that killed four people. Goldstein had to get skin graft surgery, which is very painful, but, he went back to performing about a month later. Perhaps, DJ AM suffered from chronic pain and that is why he had so many prescriptions for narcotics? It has been clear for a very long time that benzodiazepines and opiates can be a very lethal combination. On top of that, mixing those drugs can put someone in a dream like state where your memory is not accurate; in turn, one can take more pills without even knowing and that is when an overdose ensues.

I find myself saddened by the fact that Goldstein had made the choice to seek help, but, unfortunately it was not soon enough. He was very talented individual with a lot of promise in life. Who knows the things he could have accomplished? DJ AM is just one case of thousands of people whose lives are cut short every year by the disease of addiction. Drug abuse is not a joke and it will strip you of your life if you do not seek help.