Understanding the Prescription Drug Problem in Nevada

Prescription drug abuse is a major problem in Nevada. Per capita use of hydrocodone (better known by the brand name Vicodin) is higher in Nevada than in any other state. Nevadans routinely consume more painkillers than average. Overdosing on painkillers is a relatively common tragedy in Nevada. This is a big problem in Nevada that must be dealt with.

Understanding Why Prescription Drug Abuse is Such a Problem

Prescription drug abuse doesn't quite get the same attention as illicit drug use. Street drugs feature more frequently in headlines than do prescription drugs, but the fact of the matter is that while illicit drug abuse is on the decline, prescription drug abuse is on the rise.

Prescription drugs are relatively easy for people to abuse because of their wide availability. People who have been abusing prescription drugs for a relatively long period of time typically become quite skilled at figuring out strategies to obtain more of them. This makes them much more difficult to catch than illicit drug users.

Prescription Drug Abuse Strategies

One of the most common prescription drug abuse strategies is doctor shopping. Patients pretend to be experiencing a great deal of pain as a result of an incurable condition and continue to see different doctors until they get the prescriptions they want. This strategy often works because there is no way for doctors to objectively determine whether or not their patients are experiencing pain.

Some people with relatively horrible injuries claim to feel little or not pain, while some individuals with relatively mild injuries claim to feel tremendous amounts of pain. It is often left up to the judgment of individual doctors to determine what (if any) kind of painkillers their patients need. This opens up a loophole for enterprising prescription drug abusers to exploit.

Dealing with Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drug abuse is not an easy problem to deal with, especially the prescription drug problem in Nevada. In order to solve the problem, doctors, policy makers, and the public have to work together.

One of the first steps is limiting access to prescription medications. Doctors need to be counseled to look for the warning signs of prescription drug abuse. They need to be instructed to be very careful prescribing potent painkillers like hydrocodone to patients.

Understanding the Biological Basis of Prescription Drug Abuse

Drug abuse always has a biological basis, and prescription drug abuse is no exception. When people become addicted to a drug, they start to develop a tolerance for it. In other words, they have to take more and more of their drug of choice in order to feel high. In time, they end up having to take very large doses in order to feel anything at all.

Fortunately, as former drug abusers learn how to overcome their biological cravings for the drugs they used to abused, they can learn to rewire some of the neural pathways involved in drug abuse. This can help make it easier for them to continue to abstain from abusing drugs.