Prescription Drugs Essay

result in other health complications and diseases. Prescription drugs are only as good as the prescription given under the doctors’ orders. Tranquilizers, painkillers, supplements and sexual dysfunction medication are the most abused drugs around the globe. The accessibility to these types of drugs is mostly through friends or a family member who is using them for a particular medical reason. For instance, the United States makes about 5% of the total world population and yet its consumption levels of prescription drugs are at 75%. This shows how much people depend on prescription drugs to get through tough times but end up being addicted to them. (Moran, 2016). Without constant monitoring prescription drugs will cause more harm to the users than the intended purpose. The misuse of prescription drugs leads to the question of whether prescription drugs are helping them or causing them more harm.

The misuse of prescription drugs not only affects the users, but also the people around them. Families fall apart when one parent is an addict and does not seek proper help in time. When a parent is addicted, then child negligence is another issue to worry about. The abandoned children do not feel the need to stay away from drugs and as a result, they end up alone falling into addiction habits too. Parental addiction puts the child at a higher risk of getting frustrated from irresponsible parents. Children with parents who are addicts do not get a fair chance as those with sober parents. These kids are more likely to engage underage alcohol drinking, domestic violence, low self-awareness and inability to have a social relationship. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).

Drug-addicted parents

make their children lack a strong relationship with them. Drug addiction can be interpreted to be genetic, psychological or biological; taking this into account, there’s no element that can be attributed to substance abuse. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016). Alcohol is the most abused drug, yet it has been legalized according to the U.S policy. (Thompson, 2014). Parents with addiction are conflicted when they have to give birth and take care of a child. Considering the fact that they are addicts, the chances of giving birth to a child who has special needs are very high. A child with disabilities need a lot of attention and if the parent is an addict the child has already lost the chances of growing up in a stable and safe environment. Other difficulties associated with adopting the new role as a parental role include deficient introjection identifications, inconsistent models and the inability to mentalize. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).

Parents with addiction have difficulties mentalizing. Mentalization is the ability for an individual to express and understand their feelings, needs, desires, and beliefs. Without these function, the parents are unable to express and interpret their actions and those of the people around them. There is a direct relationship between substance abuse and individual mentalization. Addiction makes mentalization hard, and it is associated with obliviousness directed towards the mental state of the people around the addict. Reduced ability to mentalize leads to activation of negative feelings and emotion such as frustrations, misunderstandings caused from difficulties in interpretation and conflicts with close relations. People with mentalization difficulties are more vulnerable to substance abuse and difficulty to show affection to their children, family,

and friends. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos & Paixão, 2016).

Another aspect related to misuse and overuse of prescription drugs is the level of accessibility. Many people can access these drugs from their family members, relative, and friends who may be using them for other medical purposes. Easy access to prescription drugs has strengthened the habit of addiction to painkillers and other prescription drugs (Moran, 2016). As much we may want to blame the pharmaceutical companies for availing these drugs, the blame should also fall on individuals who use self-medication. Self-medication can result from a false diagnosis and lead to more health problems associated with a wrong prescription of drugs. (Abdallah, 2014).

According to studies, the price is one of the primary factors considered by people before they choose a certain prescription drug. People want to use cheaper drugs that are closely related to the one they should be taking, and it results in health complications and addictions. In KSA study done in 2014 which had over 900 correspondents, 42.9% of then chose a prescription drug on the basis of price. Most of the users do not ask what they should do whenever and if they skip a dose. Instead, they end up using prescription drugs for an extended period of time which may be unnecessary and end up having a dependency on the drugs. (Abdallah, 2014).

Another alarming issue related to prescription drugs is ignorance of the medicine leaflets. According to a study done on medicines use among the general public in Taif, KSA, it revealed that most of the 900 participants who took part in the survey did not bother to read the instructions on the medicine leaflet. Ignoring

these instructions on the medicine leaflet result in improper use of prescription drugs. Similarly, the survey revealed that 34.4% of the people who did read the medicine leaflet did find time to consult their doctor before settling on which prescription drug to use. (Abdallah, 2014). On the other hand, an argument by Moran’s article reveals that not only does one need to ask about which medication they should take but also why the doctor chooses that specific drug for you. (Moran, 2016). It is also alarming that most people who are using Prescription Only Medication (POM) are young and single. The reason for this is that young people do not feel like they have an obligation to stay sober and have a stable life, and they believe no one depends on them yet, hence no responsibility. (Abdallah, 2014).

Pregnant mothers are also at a higher risk of endangering a child’s health if they use drug during pregnancy. They have to be monitored regularly to ensure they’re not putting their unborn children in more danger than they need to be in. In fact, there are rules and regulations in some countries and states on mandatory drug screening of pregnant mothers in order to give them proper prenatal care. For instance, there was a sad case in Tennessee where a mother hanged herself after her child was taken away because of her addiction. The child may have been saved from a parent with an addiction but he or she may never know what it feels like to have a mother. Helping out mothers with an addiction instead of taking away their child could be a good first step

towards creating a better parent-child relationship. The Tennessee case is an ultimate example of a mother who did not get enough support from her family and friends. After taking the child away, she did not see the purpose of life or in living anymore. (Goldensohn& Levy, 2014).

There is a new law in Tennessee that denies mothers an opportunity to get clean or go to rehab and start building a relationship with their child. The laws demands that a mother should be tested regularly to ensure the baby is healthy and if the mother is using drugs, she is to be arrested. With the existence of such a law, pregnant mothers are scared of going for prenatal care in hospital hence putting the infant at higher risks without medical care. The state does not really care about the mother but rather the child the mother is carrying. It is ironical since the mother needs to be healthy in order for the baby to be healthy. The astonishing repercussion of mothers who test positive for drugs and decide to get clean and seek help is that they do not get their children back. The state gets to put the kids in an adoption system hence denying the mother a chance to unite with her child. To help the child and his or her mother, the state should start by encouraging the pregnant mother’s family and friends to support her. When the mother is able to see how much support and care she is getting then she is motivates to want to stay clean and get back to her child. (Goldensohn& Levy, 2014).Studies have show that parent who

are addicts and decide to get help do so because they want to have a better relationship with their child and be able to support them. A child is a huge motivator for a parent to want to stay sober. (Barrocas, Vieira-Santos &Paixão, 2016).

While mother have to worry about their babies, men are also faced with health issue resulting from alcohol and use of recreational drugs. Mental-health related issues which are linked to substance abuse as well as marijuana are a threat to men than women. Studies show that a man with an addiction or mental-health related issues three times more likely to commit suicide in comparison to a woman. While women tend to get support from their family and friends as they go through a rough addiction period, men do not get the same support. Young people are also victims of using illegal drugs, drinking and smoking as they are more willing to take risks. Smoking has been a big issue of concern as the number of deaths resulting from it are very high. 18% of deaths in the UK in 2011 were caused by smoking and most of the affected people were men. Although the numbers of smoking have decreased over the years there is still a great concern in men’s health as they tend to smoke more packets of cigarettes compared to women. According to a study by Health and Social Care Information Centre done in 2014, men smoke 13.3 cigarettes in a day in comparison to women who smoke 12.1. The rates of men being high is as result of men having more access to drugs and have more free time

to meet with friends and indulge in smoking. Peer pressure is also another reason why men smoke. They want to blend in and prove to their friends that they can smoke too. This is the reason why more young men start engaging in drug use and substance abuse at a young age. (Barber, 2015).

Another factor that singles out men to be victims of substance abuse and smoking is their parents. Most men look at their fathers as their role models in life and when a father is smoking the child will start believing that smoking is a good thing hence it is a norm. There is also the perception of young men thinking that smoking is a rite passage, something they had to do to become adults. Some teenagers consider drinking alcohol as a competitive activity and they engage in binge drinking which could result in irrational behaviour and poor decision making. Decision made while one is under the influence alcohol could lead to endangerment of lives by driving under the influence or engaging in unprotected sex which leads to sexually transmitted diseases. Smoking tobacco and other drugs leads to various health-related diseases such as respiratory problems, cancer, heart conditions, strokes and liver cirrhosis. Other risks related to alcohol use include alcohol poisoning, public assaults, social problems with family and friends. Underperforming at work is also another crucial effect of alcohol use and can lead to unemployment and engagement in criminal activities to come up with money for substance and drug use. (Barber, 2015).
United States prescription drugs consumption is at 75% while in Saudi Arabia most people have access to prescription and their rates are

considerably high too. Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs worldwide and its easy availability in the black market makes its usage extreme. Alcohol is also a substance that is readily available to teenagers and since it is not regulated people do not consider what excessive consumption of alcohol does to their health. Just like the pharmacies make lots of money from the people who consume prescription drugs and increase revenue for the government, marijuana has been one of the boosters of the economy. Cannabis was also one of the imports that were transported by large corporations from Mexico to American soil. Just like Chinese Opium, cannabis was regulated to limit its usage in America. The Comprehensive Abuse and Control Action 1970 decide to categorize marijuana and heroin in the same category. (Thompson, 2014).

In spite of these efforts to regulate some drugs, there is still a big concern regarding heroine use and cocaine. There are large numbers of teenagers who dies from heroin overdose and cocaine across the globe. The government is spending a lot of money in deploying more police me to fight drug loads and other drug-related crimes hence the tax-payers money goes these issues. Violent clashes between rival gangs who are fighting to maintain their territory have led to police officers and innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire dying. In 1907, there was a campaign for prohibition of selling and transporting of drugs by the U.S constitution. As a result of these drinkers sought their alcohol somewhere else like the black market where it was cheaper, and the quality never seemed to matter. There was an increase in drug-related crimes

and homicide cases increased. The rates of drug consumption did reduce in the first few years of alcohol prohibition but hiked to 70% which was considered higher than the pre-Prohibition levels. 13 years down the line, the Prohibition of alcohol was repealed as the Prohibition was a fail. (Thompson.2016).

After Prohibition was repealed the American economy improved and the government had tax money flowing alcohol sales and transportation. Some measures and standards were also put in place to ensure safe and quality alcohol was being sold to the American people. Quality standards for all alcohol products were enforced and the minimum age of drinking set. The alcohol companies started to label the alcohol content in each product and giving warning of excessive consumption of alcohol being harmful to the consumer’s health. (Thompson.2016).

Drug abuse and substance abuse does not know class. According to a study by the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health, in 2010, over 17.4 million Americans were reported to have used marijuana, and the political elites were among the people who used it more. For instance, President George Bush and Barrack Obama, Bill Clinton and Thomas Jefferson are among the top public figures that have used marijuana. With the United Nations sugar-coating the challenges experienced in fighting the War on Drugs it is unclear how far drugs have ruined a promising tomorrow for many nations. It is ironic that the drugs that most teenagers use are more accessible to the ones that have regulations. For instance, it is very easy but very dangerous for a teenager to buy cocaine, marijuana, heroin or any other illicit drug then buying a cigarette or beer. This

is so because most of the drug dealers do not care who takes their drugs as long as it sells, they also do not care about the quality of the product. The government should start with the basic policies in pharmaceuticals. (Thompson.2016).
Pharmaceutical companies make a lot of money from the prescription drugs that they manufacture and sell. Moran’s interview with Bell who is an athlete revealed that athletes use steroids to enhance their performance. They also use prescription drugs for their pain and amidst the intake of the drugs for their fractured knees or ankles they end up being addicted. It starts as a treatment drug but one ends up using 20 to 30 pills a day, and it becomes an addiction. According to Moran’s interview, Bell reveals that pharmaceutical companies do make a lot of money from the frequent usage of prescription drugs. An example is Big Pharma, which has done $711 billion in at least ten years. (Moran, 2016).

To manage the prescription of drugs and ensure pharmaceutical industry follow the right standards there have been policies proposed following a study by the Cypriot Ministry of Health. The Cypriot Ministry Health aims to present guidelines that are meant to impact the pharmaceutical industry in Cyprus and around the world. The study was conducted by the national health system with the primary objective of enforcing pharmaceutical policies and ensuring quality products are manufactured and used efficiently. Other objectives of this study were to review the affordability, availability, and drug-benefit plans in Pharmaceutical Systems in Cyprus. The study revealed that 25% of total drugs purchased by the government are for the public sector and the remaining

75% goes to the private sector. This shows that there is a limited in the public sector as people who access the public sector prescription drugs need public health insurance. On the other hand, the private sector is for people who can afford to pay for the drugs as the pricing is higher compared to the public sector. This results in people in the private sector having much access to prescription drugs and can refill prescriptions as long as they can pay for it. Prescription drugs sold in the private sector cost 10% more than those sold in the public sector. (Wouters & Kanavos, 2015).

The study also showed that in Cyprus, the private sector depends on the ministry to set the pricing policies through the pricing committee. For instance, Cyprus has considerably higher pricing range in the private sector in Europe and as a result, the pharmaceutical industry and the Cyprus government get to make a lot of money. The Health Insurance Organization suggested that pharmaceutical companies should use electronic prescription patterns so as to keep track on each patient’s prescription. An electronic prescription will ensure that patient data is stored in electronic form and is easily accessed by the medical personnel. The Health Insurance Organization also recommends that a reimbursement committee should be able to encourage rational usage of various drugs to ensure patients do not feel overwhelmed by prescription medication. (Wouters & Kanavos, 2015).

Although the study was aimed at determining active pharmaceutical policies, it may have had a personal bias as the Cyprus Medical Association representatives were not present during the interviews. As a result of the Cyprus Medical Association officials being absent,

the stakeholders had a hard time coming to an agreement on the prices recommended for prescription drugs. Members of the Cyprus could have contributed helpful information to this study. Another area of concern was the disputes between physicians not wanting to monitor prescription drugs. (Wouters & Kanavos, 2015).

Another effort to regulate the misuse of prescription drugs is through the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PMP) for public safety. Thus program is meant to limit if not control the consumption rates or prescription drugs. It supports access to controlled substances and ensures legitimate access to prescription drugs as well as right prescriptions for each patient. The program is also to detect any diversions in the pharmaceutical industry which can mean illegal access to prescription drugs by criminals. Another use for this program is to educate people about the risks associated with misuse of prescription drugs and other health-related complications. PMP stores data electronically to help doctors and other healthcare professionals to access patient information regarding the history of their prescription. Some people may abuse drugs or misuse prescription drugs not because they are ignorant or they do not know what they’re consuming but simply because of lack of information and misinformation. According to a study done in Florida, 2015, it revealed that health care professionals feel more confident about their dosage to patients especially after reviewing PMP data. Similarly another study in Oregon shows that health care professionals seek confirmation on their doubts about a patient’s prescription history using PMP data records. (Green & Pfenning, 2015).
Although PMPs has been in existence for almost 75 years, its awareness was minimal but has increased over the years. California was

the first to operate a PMP program in 1939. Earlier PMPs were used for the purpose of monitoring schedule II controlled substances will an inclusion of oxycodone. The databases for PMP were housed by Departments of public safety and data was transmitted to the state’s centralized repository using dispensers. They used prescription forms whereby one copy of the form was kept by his or her healthcare provider while the other remained with the pharmacist so as to send patient information to PMP. This was a very tedious system that required a lot of paper, and that’s why Oklahoma was the first state to create an electronic PMP system in the 1990s. 15 years later, 49 states have already implemented the use of PMP for better ways to control the use of prescription drugs. (Green & Pfenning, 2015).

The intended results to be achieved using PMP is to enlighten health care professionals on better ways to monitor their patients’ prescription using their prescription history. Even with this program availing patient data, there is a problem of information being up-to-date or cases where patients use prescriptions from the black market. For instance, if a particular patient’s previous prescription information takes longer to appear in the system then the health care professional may have to give another prescription without data from PMP. It is also likely that health care professionals create a dependency of PMP data such that is there is a technical issue accessing the data, all patients will have to wait until the PMP system is fixed. (Green & Pfenning, 2015).

A recommendation for the PMP program is to implement a system whereby data is readily available for

all healthcare personnel with special credentials to ensure the safety of patient records. It should also ensure that there are real-time updates to the system whenever a prescription is made and include the health care personnel’s information. Including health care, personnel’s information will be to hold them responsible for every prescription they make. This will also ensure that the healthcare personnel is more careful before issuing any doses of prescription drugs. It will reduce the amount of prescription drugs used by limiting access to a specific group of professionals. (Green & Pfenning, 2015).

Apart from using PMP records and data from Cyprus research, another editorial is against the death penalty which has been existing fro sometime in some countries. The death penalty has been abolished in many over 135 nations at the end of 2007. There are still over 63 countries that implemented the abolition of the death penalty but 24 countries were against it. Among the leading countries who executed drug traffickers in 2007 were China and Iran. Iran, in particular, punishes drug traffickers by burying them up to the waist then mercilessly stoning them to death. This is a very inhumane act of handling criminals. (Edwards, Babor, Darke, Hall & Marsden, 2011).

Drug trafficking is perceived as a way of corrupting young people, and youths were hence destroying a future this young person may be looking at. The irony of the drug trafficking business is that the real criminals behind the drug trafficking business who are often referred to as drug loads, go unpunished. Instead of punishing the small suppliers, the police should use them to their advantage and gather information to help them prosecute

their bosses. Drug dealers have one goal, and that goal is to use others to make money while they hide behind the shadows. It is unclear on whether taking one life to save many is the right thing to do but from a moral perspective of looking at it, it life is a gift, and no one has the right to do that except for God. (Edwards, Babor, Darke, Hall & Marsden, 2011).

Another reason why is it hard to get to the big fish is because of corruption in the drug force departments. For instance, in Afghanistan, opium farmers pay tax to the police and the government and also pay an extra 10% so that the authorities can look away. When the law enforcement who are supposed to be protecting the people start taking bribes and looking away from crime then the country is in trouble. By ignoring the drug lords operations of drug trafficking, they are encouraging them and giving them a leeway to supply illegal drugs which cause several deaths around the world. (Edwards, Babor, Darke, Hall & Marsden, 2011).

Nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) is practiced by many people annually, and it is the most consumed type of illicit drugs. Just like drug trafficking, the youths are the most affected group of people by NMUPD. In fact, one in four college students uses NMUPD ad those who don’t ask from their friends or purchase from them. The business economic theory of addiction shows drug abuse as a persistent and recurrent pattern of having an elevated motivation for drug abuse. It does not indicate whether the usage and buying of drugs decrease when

the price is increasing. In fact, addicts tent not to care about the price of drugs as long as they can buy them. The basis for purchase is satisfaction and not the price. Painkillers and tranquilizers are the most abused prescription drugs. (Pickover, Messina, Correia, Garza & Murphy, 2016).

In conclusion, prescription drugs have saved a lot of people but at the same time, they’ve also created addiction tendencies among others. To choose proper medication, one needs to seek advice from a professional and enquire why the doctor recommends that specific medication for them. It is also important to limit access to the general public using PMPs data records and advising family members to keep prescription drugs away from children and other recovering addicts. Self-medication may lead to other health complications rather than cure. The pregnant mother should also be given advice on the importance of keeping their babies safe and get prenatal help to keep the baby safe. Parents with addictions should also seek help so as to keep a strong and healthy relationship with their children. To get through an addiction one has to start by accepting that they are addicts then seek help and support from family and friends.

References

1. Abdallah, Q. (2014). Medicines use among general public in Taif, KSA. Archives Of Pharmacy Practice, 5(3), 125. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/2045-080x.137546
2. Barber, C. (2015). Men's health 7: tobacco, alcohol and drugs as a health issue. British Journal Of Healthcare Assistants, 9(4), 184-187.
3. Barrocas, J., Vieira-Santos, S., & Paixão, R. (2016). Parenting and drug addiction: A psychodynamic proposal based on a multifactorial perspective. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 33(1), 161-178.
4. Edwards, G., Babor, T., Darke, S., Hall, W., & Marsden, J.
   

(2011). Drug Trafficking: Time To Abolish The Death Penalty.