What is pharmaceutical abuse?

What is pharmaceutical abuse?

Overview. Prescription drug abuse is the use of a prescription medication in a way not intended by the prescribing doctor. Prescription drug abuse or problematic use includes everything from taking a friend’s prescription painkiller for your backache to snorting or injecting ground-up pills to get high.

Is drug abuse and addiction the same thing?

Substance abuse is not the same thing as addiction, though it is still a cause for concern. Both overusing a substance and using a substance in a manner other than its intended use are signs of substance abuse.

What does polysubstance mean in terms of drug abuse?

Although polysubstance abuse often refers to abuse of multiple illicit drugs, it’s also inclusive of prescription medications used in nonmedical circumstances. In some instances, those on prescription medication may unintentionally combine substances.

What happens to the body when you abuse multiple substances?

Per the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), this boosts toxicity and can produce new metabolites formed from the breakdown of multiple substances. Various diseases and disorders are more common in those who abuse multiple substances.

Which is more common in people who abuse multiple substances?

Various diseases and disorders are more common in those who abuse multiple substances. For example, chronic diseases, such as hepatitis C, are often seen in heavy drinkers who inject drugs, and tobacco smokers who use cocaine are more at risk for myocardial infarction, EMCDDA reports.

How are overdoses from multiple substances of abuse treated?

Complicated treatment: Overdose from multiple substances of abuse is more difficult to treat. While opioid overdose can often be reversed with the prompt use of naloxone, it may not be effective if the overdose is due to other substances of abuse as well, such as benzodiazepines, stimulants, or alcohol.

Although polysubstance abuse often refers to abuse of multiple illicit drugs, it’s also inclusive of prescription medications used in nonmedical circumstances. In some instances, those on prescription medication may unintentionally combine substances.

Per the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), this boosts toxicity and can produce new metabolites formed from the breakdown of multiple substances. Various diseases and disorders are more common in those who abuse multiple substances.

Various diseases and disorders are more common in those who abuse multiple substances. For example, chronic diseases, such as hepatitis C, are often seen in heavy drinkers who inject drugs, and tobacco smokers who use cocaine are more at risk for myocardial infarction, EMCDDA reports.

Complicated treatment: Overdose from multiple substances of abuse is more difficult to treat. While opioid overdose can often be reversed with the prompt use of naloxone, it may not be effective if the overdose is due to other substances of abuse as well, such as benzodiazepines, stimulants, or alcohol.