In America, it's estimated that one hundred people die daily from prescription drug overdose. Alarmingly, the number of these fatalities has increased over 300% since 1999. A recent survey found that " two million people reported using prescription pain killers, non-medically, for the first time"(Policy Impact: Prescription Pain Killer Overdoses, 2013). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that "almost all prescription drugs involved in overdoses come from prescriptions originally; very, few come from pharmacy theft. However, once they are prescribed and dispensed, prescription drugs are frequently diverted to people using them without a prescription" " (Policy Impact: Prescription Pain Killer Overdoses, 2013). .
Prescription drugs are defined by Black's Medical Dictionary as "the written direction for drugs for medicinal use, given by the doctor, dentist, and nurse to the patient, for dispensing by a pharmacist."" The BMC goes on to say that "drugs should only be prescribed when essential for treatment, and when any possible risks involved to the patient are outweighed by the potential benefits of giving the drug"(Black's Medical Dictionary, 2010). .
Drug abuse is defined as "an excessive or improper use of drugs, especially through self-administration for non-medical purposes"(Drug(s), 2008). In the emergency medical field, it's been noted that, now more than ever, patient's arrive to the ER with grocery bags full of medications they've been prescribed. Today, many people, especially the older generation, are visiting multiple doctors for medical conditions in which they suffer - or believe they suffer. This myriad of doctors, perhaps unaware of the medical treatments these patients are receiving from other physicians, go forward with prescribing and renewing prescriptions, offsetting the effectiveness of the patient's other medications. Not only that, but with multiple prescriptions intended to treat the same symptoms, a patient runs a high risk of inadvertently overdosing.