The Similarity of Illicit Drug Use and Prescribed Pharmaceutical Drugs

Subject: Pharmacology
Pages: 2
Words: 437
Reading time:
2 min

Abuse of substances has been approximated to be the actual cause of close to 120,000 deaths per year in the United States, while more 80% of them imputed to alcohol and about 20% imputed to other drug use. Alcohol and other drugs have become more likely the cause of unpremeditated harm, suicide, and even other brutal deaths, and they are the contributing factors in a high percentage of persistent diseases. Concern was articulated over commercial drivers’ who use ‘heavy stimulants’ claiming that stimulants generate strong innermost unpredictably excitable system stimulation while increasing physical and mental alertness.

Quoting the physician’s Desk Reference, Roberts and York considered the central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression as bringing about an increase in blood pressure, however, the cautions integrated the beginning of side effects like: restlessness, dizziness, euphoria, and headaches, and statements that use of amphetamine may weaken the ability of an individual to participate in potentially dangerous activities such as driving of vehicles or operating machines.

Recurring use drug can result in drug addiction, rather leading to irrational behavior, restlessness, anorexia, insomnia, agitation, tremors, hallucinations, hostility, and violent behavior. Raymond, Goldberg stated that most individuals who drive or operate machines frequently take prescription or non-prescription medications, other chemical substances, and drug (e.g. dietary pills, antihistamines, etc.) as treatment for illness, or for relief from diagnostic ailments or as self-prescribed action taken to offset another action (e.g. stimulants or hypnotics) or recreational purposes.

Some of these not only cause relief to the individual from the uncomfortable feeling of mental painfulness or distress and symptoms of different illness, or ailments, but they have chemical substances which may have a strong effect on levels of drivers’ alertness hence causing a positive effect on driving performance and safety. Medications taken under the prescription of a physicians’ order may treat some medical condition or often-persistent bodily disorder or disease that leads to patients or drug abusers complaints.

Furtherance to this, so many people may take a collection of drugs containing a variety of prescriptions or over the counter nonprescription medications for treatment or relief from respiratory ailments like asthma, chronic bronchitis, and seasonal allergies. Some medications have an adverse and unwanted secondary effect, and manufacturers are required to place strong precautions on the containers or on printed instructions inside drug packaging. The secondary and usually adverse effects of a drug or therapy for commercially available drugs are published in the Physicians’ Desk Reference.