Prescription Drug Abuse in Seniors Rising
Categories: Medication, Senior Care |
Posted: 6/2/2011 |
Views: 396
Commonly when we think of “drug abuse” we imagine a young person smoking pot at a friend’s house or maybe seriously addicted heroin addicts on the street in some city. But, a recent study conducted by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has shown that of women age 60 to 64, non-medical use of prescription drugs is on a sharp rise and that 4.3 million seniors have used an illegal drug in the past year.
Some of the recent increase is likely just due to the fact that the boomer generation is aging and the sheer number of boomers creates the increase of misuse of drugs in this age group. But, it appears that the increase in abuse of prescription drugs is sharply increasing in all age groups. DAWN (the Drug Abuse Warning Network) reported a whopping 111 percent increase in emergency room visits for pain killer abuse related problems from 2004 to 2008. No matter what the cause, seniors pose a new challenge for drug abuse treatment centers; and they may have different consequences than younger drug abusers.
One difference for seniors is the way these drugs impact the body. Rare “paradoxical” reactions can occur whereby a depressant can actually cause agitation or a stimulant effect. These paradoxical reactions tend to occur in the very young or very old users. Another issue is falls. When these drugs impact mental functioning, orientation, and perception, falls can be a real problem in terms of recovery time and increased likelihood of bone fractures as we age.
Abuse of these types of drugs is caused primarily by the fact that some drugs are habit forming for anyone. For seniors, they can become even more habit forming if there are common emotional issues like isolation, depression and/or lonliness or chronic physical pain.
According to DAWN, the two most common types of drugs being abused are tranquilizers and pain killers. For more information on these types of prescription drugs, see our listing of names and side effects of commonly abused prescriptions.
6/6/11
Lori Paterno, M.Ed.