11 Facts About Prescription Drug Abuse on College Campuses

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1. Prescription drug abuse is taking the drug as it was not intended to be taken. This includes taking a drug without a prescription, taking someone else's prescription, or taking a drug to experience a “high” or other effects the drugs is not meant for.^[Sheff, David. "Solving the Prescription Drug Misuse Tragedy." Clinton Foundation. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
2. Pain medication such as OxyContin or Vicodin are among the most commonly abused prescription drugs on college campuses.^[National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Prescription Drugs." NIDA for Teens. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
3. Abusing prescription drugs is very dangerous. Any drug has side effects that doctors carefully explain to patients before prescribing them. Not knowing the details of side effects of medications before taking them is hazardous to health.^[National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Prescription Drugs." NIDA for Teens. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
4. About 2 in 3 college students are offered prescription drugs by their senior year.^[Zadrozny, Brandy. "7 Things You Need to Know About Adderall." The Daily Beast/Newsweek. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
5. Around 1/3 of college students will abuse prescription drugs during their college career.^[Zadrozny, Brandy. "7 Things You Need to Know About Adderall." The Daily Beast/Newsweek. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
6. The top reasons college students abuse prescription drugs are, academic pressures, maintaining focus with late-night study sessions, and dieting purposes.^[Oregon State University. "Student Health Services." Prescription Drug Abuse. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
7. The average age when prescription drug abuse starts is around 21. So if abusers are in college, they are either juniors or seniors.^[The Partnership at Drugfree.org. "Online Toolkit Designed to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse Among College Students." Drugfree.org. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
8. The majority of people abusing prescription drugs in college are supplied by a friend with a prescription.^[Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence. "Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics." CLAAD.org. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
9. Studies have shown that it’s easy for abusers to get prescriptions for unneeded drugs. With research, people can get a false positive diagnosis for things such as ADHD, which is treated with prescription stimulants.^[Zadrozny, Brandy. "7 Things You Need to Know About Adderall." The Daily Beast/Newsweek. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
10. Many abusers mix prescription drugs with alcohol or other drugs, which makes them even more dangerous.^[Zadrozny, Brandy. "7 Things You Need to Know About Adderall." The Daily Beast/Newsweek. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]
11. The peak time for abusing drugs on college campuses is near the end of semesters, during finals times. Many students take stimulants in an attempt to increase their attention span and productivity.^[Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence. "Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics." CLAAD.org. Accessed April 22, 2014. .]