Although illegal, many people share their prescription drugs. A 2009 study by Richard Goldsworthy and Christopher Mayhorn, reported in the "Journal of Adolescent Health," found 20 percent of adolescents surveyed nationwide shared prescribed medications. A study of prescription medication diversion among adults, reported in a 2008 issue of the "Journal of Women's Health" by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team, found 29 percent gave prescription drugs to others. In almost half the cases, the shared drugs were pain medications. Diverting prescribed drugs can be dangerous.
Drug Interactions
In the Goldsworthy and Mayhorn study, fewer than half the individuals obtaining prescribed medications from others received any information on the drug. Many delayed receiving medical care, and if they did see a doctor, most did not tell the doctor about the drug they shared. As a result, physicians newly treating these patients were essentially flying blind, unaware of drugs that could potentially interact with other medications the doctor might prescribe, putting the patient at risk.
Illegality
It is illegal for anyone to give or sell anyone else prescribed medication and doing so opens a person to prosecution under state and federal laws. Laws surrounding drugs controlled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, are particularly strict. Providing narcotics to another person could mean time in jail or prison, loss of a scholarship and other consequences. For example, according to the DEA, the first offense penalty for trafficking or providing a schedule II drug to another person is up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Many drugs are categorized as schedule II drugs, according to "The Encyclopedia of Drug Abuse." Some examples are painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone as well as amphetamines such as Adderall or dexedrine.
Death and Other Adverse Reactions
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the annual number of unintentional deaths from drugs more than doubled, from 11,155 in 1999 to 22,448 by 2005, and the primary reason for this increase was the number of deaths from prescription drugs, particularly opiates.
In the study by Goldsworthy and Mayhorn of individuals receiving prescribed drugs from others, one-third experienced side effects. Some medications have very serious side effects, such as increasing or decreasing the heart rate to dangerous levels or causing unconsciousness or death.
References
- "American Journal of Psychiatry"; Sharing and Selling of Prescription Medications in a College Student Sample; Laura M. Garnier, M.A., et al.; March 2010
- "Journal of Adolescent Health"; Prescription Medication Sharing Among Adolescents; Richard C. Goldsworth, Ph.D. and Christopher B. Mayhorn, Ph.D.; December 2009
- "Journal of Women's Health"; Prescription Medication Borrowing and Sharing Among Women of Reproductive Age; Emily E. Peterson, B.A., et al.; September 2008
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Prescription Drug Overdose--State Health Agencies Respond
- "The Encyclopedia of Drug Abuse"; Esther Gwinnell, M.D.; 2008
