Misuse of Prescription and Over-the-counter Drug

OTC drugs are legal medications that can be purchased without a prescription. Pharmacies, supermarket stores, and even gas stations sell them. While over-the-counter medications are generally safe when used responsibly, many of them include psychoactive substances that people may try to increase for recreational purposes. Nonmedical use of prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs means the user is taking them for reasons apart from those listed within the prescribing literature or on the package label. The misuse of these drugs is a growing issue. Intentional drug abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications has progressively increased. While dangerous in and of itself, OTC drug addiction is particularly dangerous since it affects a disproportionate number of young individuals. Drug consumption in youth and young adulthood almost always precedes substance addiction problems in maturity. The overuse of over-the-counter drugs, in turn, sets young people up for future substance dependence problems.

• Drug Abuse
• Drug Abuse Statistics
• Drug Addiction and Treatment
• Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals
• Intentional Abuse