Assignment Task: Write a feedback for each peer on their discussion of the prescription drug's appropriate use, manner of abuse and why, and their ideas for abuse prevention.
First peer below.
One prescription drug that is known to be abused is Adderall. The drug is typically prescribed by a doctor for individuals who struggle with ADHD and need help with their concentration. Adderall is a stimulant of the central nervous system and is a combination of the generic drugs amphetamine and dextroamphetamine (Hobbs, 2022).
Given that Adderall is a controlled substance, you should be aware of the possibility of misuse and addiction even if you have a prescription. Additionally, using this medication without a prescription might put you at risk of getting into legal trouble (The Recovery Village, 2022). The drug might be obtained outside of the typical prescription process by dealers who might be prescribed the medication and instead of taking it themselves, they sell it and make quite a bit of money off of it.
People will often become addicted to Adderall due to the way it makes them feel. When consuming Adderall, you may feel more awake, focused, and aware. It has a stimulating impact that causes the brain to produce dopamine, making you feel happy and content. People will abuse this drug by taking more than the recommended dose to increase their serotonin, dopamine, and or norepinephrine levels to feel high or less depressed/stressed, or struggling to focus. Individuals at risk for becoming addicted to Adderall would be students who want to improve their attention span, professionals in a stressful work environment, athletes wishing to improve their performance, people who struggle with social anxieties, and people who struggle with eating disorders wanting to lose weight quickly. Ways to prevent this addiction would be to strictly follow the prescription given by your doctor, take breaks from the medication to prevent tolerance, and watch for signs of becoming physically dependent on the drug (My Time Recovery, 2019).
Second peer below.
The prescription drug that I chose to write about is OxyContin. The reason that I chose this is because it is easily accessible and has a reputation for leading people into turning to Heroin. OxyContin and its generic cousin "oxycodone" according to (A prescription for Danger 2005) "are from the same family of drugs as heroin." The purpose of this prescription drug is to aide those that need a strong and effective pain relief. The problem is that according to (A prescription for Danger 2005) "if crushed and snorted or swallowed it becomes a powerfully addictive drug."
OxyContin is typically prescribed for acute or chronic pain by a Doctor. It is to be used as prescribed because it is considered to be addictive. If a parent or a grandparent has this in there cabinet it can be easily accessible for a curious teen to take and use at their convenience. This particular medication can be purchased on the streets as well and possibly be laced with fentanyl so the importance of adults locking up there medication is more than important. Once someone gets addicted to the high that OxyContin gives them, if they can no longer afford or access it there is a chance that they can turn to Heroin to achieve the high but more intense and more cost effective. Now an addiction of a prescription medication has turned into an addiction of Heroin.
In order to avoid this, parents need to lock up there prescription. Also parents need to not set a social norm in the house of allowing the children to share prescription medication. It is important to express that what is prescribed is taken and only to who it is prescribed too. Some types of medication should not be in arms reach of teens that are in the experimental stage and then a lock box is needed and worth the time and energy. This could help with potential mistreating of prescription medications.