Skip navigation

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Prescription Drug Abuse

If you take a medicine in a way that is different from what the doctor prescribed, it is called prescription drug misuse. It could be:

  • Taking a medicine that was prescribed for someone else
  • Taking a larger dose than you are supposed to
  • Taking the medicine in a different way than you are supposed to. This might be crushing tablets and then snorting or injecting them.
  • Using the medicine for another purpose, such as getting high

Misusing some prescription drugs can lead to addiction. These include opioids, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.

(Read more)

Results 1 - 10 of 178 for prescription drug misuse
  1. Prescription Drug Misuse (National Library of Medicine)  
    ... from what the doctor prescribed, it is called prescription drug misuse. It could be: Taking a medicine that was ... another purpose, such as getting high Misusing some prescription drugs ... medicines. People who misuse these drugs may not understand the risks. The ...
  2. How Can Prescription Drug Misuse Be Prevented? From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Drug Abuse)  
    Prescription Drug Misuse/Prevention and Risk Factors ... Prescription Drug Misuse ... National Institute on Drug Abuse ... From the National Institutes of Health ... Physicians, ...
  3. Prescription Drug Misuse/Statistics and Research ... Prescription Drug Misuse ... National Institute on Drug Abuse ... From the National Institutes of Health ... All data ...
  4. Pregnancy and Substance Use (National Library of Medicine)  
    ... be passed along to your baby during pregnancy. Prescription drug misuse Misusing prescription drugs can also be harmful. Misuse can include taking more than your prescribed dose ...
  5. Which Classes of Prescription Drugs Are Commonly Misused? From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Drug Abuse)  
    Prescription Drug Misuse/Statistics and Research
  6. How Can Prescription Drug Addiction Be Treated? From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Drug Abuse)  
    Prescription Drug Misuse/Treatments and Therapies
  7. Opioids and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) (National Library of Medicine)  
    ... that a baby has after being exposed to drugs during pregnancy. Another problem with increased opioid misuse is that it can also lead to more heroin use. There are some people who switch from prescription opioids to heroin because heroin may be cheaper ...
  8. Medication Errors (National Library of Medicine)  
    Medicines treat infectious diseases, prevent problems from chronic diseases, and ease pain. But medicines can also cause harmful reactions if not used correctly. ...
  9. Safe Opioid Use (National Library of Medicine)  
    What are opioids? Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are a type of drug. They include strong prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, ...
  10. Prescription Drug Abuse (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)  
    Prescription Drug Misuse/Start Here ... Prescription Drug Misuse
previous · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · next