Abuse of prescription drugs can include:
- Taking them without a prescription (using, stealing, or buying illegal prescription drugs).
- Taking them in ways not ordered by their healthcare provider (taking larger amounts or changing how you take them like crushing a pill and snorting it).
- Taking them to get high.
Youth
Youth are a particularly vulnerable population for prescription abuse and the #1 place they get these drugs is from a family member’s or friend’s medicine cabinet. Make sure you dispose of unused or expired medications at your local pharmacy and lock up any medications that are in your home.
Path of the Pill
Watch the Path of the Pill. Linked with permission from the Partnership for a Drug Free Canada.
Opioids
One of the most commonly abused prescription drugs comes from a family of drugs called Opioids which include morphine, codeine, and oxycodone.
