Research on Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction Among Teenagers

Prescription Drug Abuse and Addicition among Teenagers
Submitted to:
Ms. Nadia Kamal Al- Siraj (NKS)
Prepared by:
Zeba Adiba
ID: 123 0368 630
Course: ENG105(10)
Date: August 20, 2015

Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction among Teenagers
Acknowledgement
This research paper has been prepared as a requirement for completing my course on ENG105
(Advanced Composition). A lot of people have played a huge role behind the development of
this paper, either by active participation or through their valuable advice and suggestions. So I
will start this paper by acknowledging the people who have helped me with their aid, which was
necessary for completing this research paper. I would like to thank my course instructor Ms.
Nadia Kamal Al-Siraj for all her help and advices during both her office hours and class times.
Her invaluable support motivated me to conduct my research confidently. I am really grateful to
her because of all the time she spent on helping me wherever I got stuck.
Moreover I want to thank Dr. Fahmida Begum, Md.Shaphawat Hossain, and Aquib Bhuiyan to
give me their valuable time and share their opinion about this topic.
Last but not the least,I would also like to thank my friends and all those people who responded to
my survey for helping me out in all possible ways and also for their honest opinions regarding
my topic and the questionnaire. I am grateful to all for pointing out my mistakes and helping me
to rectify those. Finally, I would say that I’m extremely grateful to all those who supported and
helped me to write up this paper.

Abstract
Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem among young generation in Bangladesh. It is
becoming very popular because of its affordability and accessibility. This addiction is often
overlooked by our society because of being a legal drug and often prescribed by a doctor. The
objective of this paper was to find out the severity of this addiction in Bangladesh and what can
be done to control this epidemic. Through this research it was found that this addiction is
extremely common among young people and these people are totally unaware of the negative
consequences of this addiction. It is important to realize that prescription drug abuse among
teenagers is a broader concern and every group from the society have their own part to stop the
abuse.

Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................1
Background ...................................................................................................................................................3
Research Questions ......................................................................................................................................7
Hypothesis.....................................................................................................................................................8
Research Methodology...............................................................................................................................10
Primary data presentation and analysis .....................................................................................................11
Summary of Interviews...............................................................................................................................22
Summary of Research Findings...................................................................................................................25
Limitation....................................................................................................................................................27
Recommendations......................................................................................................................................28
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................29
References ..................................................................................................................................................30
Annotated Bibliography..............................................................................................................................32
Appendix .....................................................................................................................................................34

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Introduction
Prescription drugs are medications that are prescribed to patients by a doctor to help them
for problems, such as relieve pain, treat symptoms of a disease, or to help fight an infection.
They are very safe when used properly and under the supervision of a physician yet, if used
without the approval of a doctor they can be very harmful and in some cases could lead to death.
Prescription drug abuse is a modern-day disease. There are many prescription drugs that are
being abused by our society today. Most common among these prescription drugs that people are
addicted to are cough syrups, sleeping pill, painkillers and antacids. Most of them don’t have any
street names because they are not hard to get, or illegal for that matter. Anyone can get their
hands on a bottle of cough syrup from their local pharmacy. Taking cough medicine has been
around for a very long time, but it is only recently that medicines like painkillers and sleeping
pills have joined the group.
During the adolescence years, teens have curiosity which builds up and leads to
experimentation, they pop a pill, get high and then they want more. Teenagers consider taking
these drugs fashionable and cool these days. Not only do they ease their state of mind increasing
numbers of teens have easy access to painkillers through classmates, friends, family members,
and peers. Sometimes they can even obtain the leftovers from the family medicine cabinet. After
experimenting with prescription drugs, what was once a curiosity can turn into dependence rather
quickly and even lead to death. Teenagers feel that taking pills is a cheaper, less harmful way to
ease their state of mind. It has become a big health issue because of the dangers, particularly the
danger of abusing prescription pain medications.

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Through my research I want to prove that prescription drug addiction among teenagers has
become more dangerous than ever in Bangladesh and this prescription drug addiction is having
disastrous effect on teenager’s health and academic life as well.

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Background
When teens want to get high, many don’t even have to leave home. All it takes is a visit
to their parent’s medicine cabinet. Prescription drug abuse is a big problem among adults is now
spreading in schools. Kids are secretly reaching for painkillers, tranquilizers and stimulants
prescribed for mom or dad, with many parents completely unaware. According to National
Survey on drug use and health 2012 Prescription medications are the most abused drugs among
12- and 13-year olds. When taken different amounts or for different purposes than prescribed,
prescription drugs have some of the same harmful effects, including the potential for addiction
and overdose. (A.Pawlowski, 2014)
According to Khan (2007), 10 out of 100 patients in the hospitals of Bangladesh are the
cases of drug addiction involving heroin, ganja, painkillers and cough syrups and they mostly
belong to the age group of 15-30. Different hospital survey results have reported that the
average age for drug addicts are 22. They belong to all kind of occupation including students,
businessman, professionals, laborers, rickshawalas, etc and are from various standards of
livelihood (para. 2). In 2012, Islam, Tabassum, Shafiuzzaman, Umar, and Khanam found in a
statistics that “Among 253 drug abusers 31% is addicted to cannabis, 26% to alcohol, 24% to
phensidyl, 10% to heroine and 9 % to diazepam, antihistamine, methamphetamine, etc. the male:
female ratio is 20:1 and 58% is between 18-35 years, 20% is between >35-50 years, 5% between
10-15 years and remaining is >50 years of age” (p. 102). On the other hand, Shemul (2009) gave
another statistics that was investigated among 996 drug abusers in Dhaka. He found that young
people who got influenced by friends were 85.7 % of total percentage of drug addict.

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Camí and Farré (2003), stated that drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder in
which compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior persists despite serious negative
consequences. Camí and Farré (2003), further stated that addictive substances induce pleasant
states (euphoria in the initiation phase) or relieve distress and continued use induces adaptive
changes in the central nervous system that lead to tolerance, physical dependence, sensitization,
craving, and relapse. (p.975)
According to Shazzad et al. (2013) Young people abuse drugs due to complex social and
peer groups influence, frustration, depression, curiosity, sub-cultural and psychological
environment that induce the youths to take drugs. Major risk factors responsible for drug abuse
are family disorganization, parental neglect, parent-child conflict, loss of spouse strife,
indiscipline, isolation, lack of emotional support, rejection of love, over protection,
unemployment, repeated failure and personality mal adjustment and easy availability of drugs.
Shazzad et al. (2013) also stated that Drug addiction leads to disintegration of family lies. The
drug addicts in a threat to the family Because of the hostile behavior of the drug abuser the
family in at risk. Normal activities of the family disrupts due to antisocial activities of the abuser.
The drug addict youth drops out from school/college or university education. The service holder
loses his job because of irregularities. Social isolation and alienation are very common. (p.84)
According to Nestler (1992), drug abuse continues to exact enormous human and
financial costs on society, yet all currently available treatments for drug addiction are notoriously
ineffective. The search for a better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying
the addictive actions of drugs of abuse and of the genetic factors that contribute to addiction
should be given a high priority, as this should result in crucial advances in our ability to treat and
prevent drug addiction. From the basic neuroscience perspective study of the neurobiology of

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drug addiction offers a novel opportunity to establish the biological basis of a complex and
clinically relevant behavioral abnormality. Three terms related to drug abuse are commonly
tolerance, dependence, and addiction. Tolerance represents a reduced effect upon repeated
exposure.
According to McLellan, Lewis, O’Brien and Kleber (2009), the effects of drug
dependence on social system has helped shape the general health view that drug dependence is
primarily a social, not a health problem. And in turn, medical approaches to prevention and
treatment are lacking. Few persons who try drugs or regularly use drugs become dependent
however once initiated there is a predictable pathogenesis to dependent marked by significant
and persistence changes in brain chemistry and functions. It is not even possible to explain the
physiological and psychological that transforms controlled voluntary use of alcohol and other
drugs into uncontrolled involuntary dependence. Twin studies indicate a definite role for genetic
heritability nonetheless personal choice and environmental factors are clearly involved in the
expression of dependence in terms of vulnerability, onset, and course, drug to similar to other
chronic illness such as type 2 diabetes and asthma. (McLellan, Lewis, O’Brien & Kleber, 2009)
Addiction affects a significant number of health care professionals. Limited data is
available on the rates of incidence because abusing or addicted health care professionals rarely
report abuse or addiction accurately for fear of disciplinary action against their license to
practice. It is also difficult to gather accurate statistics because employers often fail to recognize
the signs and symptoms of these disorders. Available literature on the subject estimates that
almost 10% to 15% of health care professionals are afflicted with alcohol or drug addiction.
Health care professionals are at particular risk for alcohol/drug abuse or addiction for many
reasons. Drugs are one of the primary tools used by health care professionals to treat and help

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their patients. They prescribe, administer and dispense medications every day. Exposure and
accessibility to mind-altering medications, pharmacological knowledge of the drugs which
fosters a false sense of control, and a tendency to self-treat or self-medicate are a few
contributing factors. (Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Addiction: A Health Care Professional’s
Resource Guide, n.d.).
Prescription drug abuse is an epidemic that has been labeled the world's fastest growing
drug problem (Schreiner, 2012, p.529). Deaths from drug overdose surpass those of homicides,
gunshots, and suicides (Office of National Drug Control Policy, n.d.). Most drug overdose deaths
are linked to nonmedical prescription drug use (Schreiner, 2012, p.529). According to a
University of Michigan study, after marijuana, prescription and over-the counter medications are
the most commonly abused drugs by high school students (National Institute on Drug Abuse
[NIDA], 2014a).

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Research Questions
Through my research I look forward to analyze the current situation on prescription drug
addiction among teenagers in Bangladesh. I will also try to explore why do teenagers get
addicted to medicinal drugs, its impact and what are the possible solutions to overcome this
problem. Thorough my research I would attempt to answer the following research questions:
1.How do youth gets addicted to prescription drugs?
2. Why do youth become addicted to prescription drugs?
3. How do prescription drug addictions affect teenager’s physical, mental and social life?
4. What can be done to prevent teenagers from getting addicted to prescription drugs?

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Hypothesis
Prescription drug addiction can be started through many ways as adolescence is a time of
self-exploration, one could argue that it’s perfectly natural and normal to want to try new things,
such as getting high or drunk for the first time. However, others would argue that adolescents, by
virtue of their young age and lack of life experience, aren’t prepared for the consequences that
often follow. Peer pressure is a powerful force at any stage of life, but it’s especially influential
during adolescence. At a time when kids are trying to figure out who they are and where they fit
in when insecurities can be fierce the desire to be accepted and saying “no” becomes extremely
difficult. Friend’s influence can be one of the most common causes for prescription drug
addiction. The desire to try new things and explore the world can be other important factors for
prescription drug addiction.
Teenage is the toughest time in a human’s life, during the adolescent stage a child goes
through several crisis. Prescription drug addiction happens due to depression, loneliness and
unsupervised access to the medicine. Often due to depression, teenagers feel frustrated and get
addicted to prescription drugs. There are various explanations of why some individuals become
involved with drugs and then escalate to abuse. One explanation points to a biological cause,
such as having a family history of drug or alcohol abuse. Another explanation is that abusing
drugs can lead to affiliation with drug-abusing peers, which exposes the individual to other
drugs. In Bangladesh prescription drugs are easily available. A teenager can go to a pharmacy

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and buy it. This availability of prescription drugs is responsible for teenage prescription drug
addiction.
Prescription drug abuse affects a human’s life in various ways. One’s physical conditions start to
deteriorate severely. Short term effects of this addiction include loss of appetite, increased heart
rate, blood pressure, body temperature, disturbed sleep pattern, nausea, sometimes violent
behavior, hallucinations, irritability and death from high doses. Long term effects include
permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart
attacks, strokes and death, liver, kidney and lung damage, destruction of tissues in nose if
sniffed, respiratory (breathing) problems. Prescription drug addiction also effects a person’s
mental condition for example one can become depressed and even can go for suicide. Other
effects include memory loss, impaired memory & judgment, confusion, insomnia, distorted
visual perception. This addiction can affect a person’s social life too, a person becomes lonely,
after knowing about this addiction the individual’s parents can reject and friends will have
negative perception about him/her.
In Bangladesh though some actions have been taken against marijuana, heroin, inhalants,
and hallucinogens, yet no action has been taken against prescription drug addiction. To prevent
prescription drug addiction firstly the parents have to be careful if their children are taking drug
without prescribed by any doctors. Many teenagers don’t know the adverse effect of prescription
drug abuse so awareness should be created about prescription drug addiction. Government and
private sectors should make sure that medicines are not attainable so easily in our country.

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Family and friends should be supportive towards drug addicted people so that they don’t feel
alone and depressed.
Research Methodology
For my primary research I would like to conduct direct in-depth interview of a doctor from
Apollo Hospital and the assistant student counselor of North South University .I will also talk
with a pharmacist as they are directly involved in selling prescription drugs. For
understanding and incorporating the general people’s perspectives, I shall be conducting a
survey using questionnaires that I will be eventually developing. I will be distributing my
questionnaires among random sample of NSU students and people living in Dhaka. For my
secondary research, I plan to collect information from a wide array of books, periodicals,
newspaper and other relevant supplementary materials that I plan to access through the
university database/ catalogue and the World Wide Web.

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Primary data presentation and analysis
1. When you were a teenager have you ever used drugs other than those required
for medical reasons?
Yes 18 56.25%
No 13 40.63%
Sometimes 1 3.13%

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Purpose of my first question was to see how many people used prescription drug other than those
required for medical reasons during their teenage. 18 out of the 32 respondents said yes they
have used prescription drug without prescription. It is almost 56.25%. 13 respondents said No
they have not done so and it is 40.63%. Only 1 respondent said sometimes he used to abuse
prescription drugs which are almost 3.13%. By this question I have found that most of people
have used prescription drugs other than those required for medical reasons during their teenage.
3. At what age did you start taking drugs?
13-15 12 38.71%
16-18 16 51.61%
Others please specify 3 9.68%

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This question was asked to learn if people have started this addiction from their teenage or not.
This pie diagram shows that almost 16 respondents which are almost 51.61% said they have
started taking drugs when they were 16-18 years old. Another 12 respondents said they started
taking prescription drugs when they were 13-15 years old which is 38.71% in total. Rest of the 3
respondents mentioned about different age when they started this addiction.
4. Who do you think influenced you to get addicted to prescription drugs?
Friends 14 43.75%
Cousins 4 12.5%
Class mates/Peers 9 28.13%
Others (please specify) 5 15.63%

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This question was asked to find out who had influenced these drug addicts to get addicted to
prescription drugs. Around 43.75% said friends influenced them which comprise almost 14
respondents out of 32. 9 respondents out of 32 chose class mate/ peers options which is almost
28.13%. 4 respondents said that cousins influenced them which make 12.5%. 5 people chose the
option others and they said boyfriend, girlfriend and siblings influenced them to get addicted to
prescription drugs.
5. What factors drove you towards prescription drugs addiction? (You can choose
more than one answer option here)
Family issues 12 37.5%
Relationship problems 13 40.63%
Frustration 13 40.63%
I was just curious to try this 6 18.75%
Others (Please specify) 0 0%

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From this question I wanted to know what factors drove this people to get addicted to
prescription drugs. In this question respondents could chose more than one answer option as
there can be multiple factors responsible for this addiction. 13 out of 32 respondents which are
40.6% think relations problems are responsible for their addiction. Another 13 respondents said
frustration drove them to this addiction which is again 40.63%. 37.5% respondents consider
family issues are responsible for their addiction. 6 respondents which are 18.75% said that they
were just curious to try this.
6. Have you ever missed school or college because of your drug use?
Never 8 25%
Regularly 8 25%
Occasionally 11 34.83%
Rarely 5 15.63%
Don’t know 0 0%

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The purpose of these questions was to see if this addiction is affecting their academic life and to
what extend this addiction is affecting their academic life. 11 respondents out of 32 said
occasionally they miss school because of this addiction. 8 respondents which comprise 25% said
never. Another 25% said regularly. The rest of the 5 ( 15.63% ) respondents said rarely they miss
school because of this addiction.

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7. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: “Prescription drugs
addiction leads to poor academic results”.
Strongly Disagree 1 3.13%
Disagree 3 9.38%
Neither agree nor disagree 10 31.25%
Agree 6 18.75%
Strongly agree 12 37.5%
This question was asked to find out to what extent people think that prescription drug is
responsible for poor academic results. 12 respondents out of 32 which comprise 37.5% strongly
agreed with this statement. Another 31.2 % remained neutral towards this statement. Rest of the
18.75% agreed with this statement. 3 respondents disagreed and 3.13% strongly disagreed with
this statement.

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9. Did your friend/society/peers abandon/neglect/avoid you because of this
addiction?
Yes they did not talk to me 8 25%
No they remained same after knowing this 24 75%
Other 0 0%
Purpose of this question was to find out how society behaves towards this drug addicted people.
8 respondents, means 25% said their friend/society/peers did not talk to them. But 24
respondents, which comprise 75 %, said they remained same after knowing about this addiction.
This shows society don’t consider prescription drug addiction as a serious issue.

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10. Have you noticed any adverse effect of this addiction on your physical health?
No, I think I am fine 24 75%
Yes, I think my health is deteriorating day by day 8 25 %
The above graph is based on the question I asked in the questionnaire that if they have notice any
adverse effect on their physical health because of this addiction. 24 out of 32 respondents, means
75% said that no I think I am fine which means they think this addiction is not affecting their
health and they are fine. Rest of the 25% said yes they have seen adverse effect of this addiction
on their health.

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11. Do you think you will be able to quit this addiction?
Yes 11 34.38%
No 12 37.5%
Not sure 9 28.13%
The purpose of this question was to find out what these drug addicted people think about quitting
their addiction. 11 respondents, means 34.38% said that yes they think they will be able to quit.
But majorities 37.5% (12 respondents) think they will not be able to quit. Other 9 (28.13%)
respondents said they are not sure about this.

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12. What factor is not allowing you to stop this addiction?
Peer pressure 7 22.58%
Depression/ Frustration 15 48.39%
Extreme work pressure 7 22.58%
Others (Please specify) 2 6.54%
15 respondents out of 32, means 48.39% said depression / frustration is not allowing them to stop
this addiction. Another 7 respondents comprising 22.58% said they are not able to quit this
addiction as they have extreme work pressure. Same number of respondents 7 (22.58%) also
mentioned about peer pressure is not allowing them to stop this addiction. 2 respondents chose
other but didn’t mention about any.

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Summary of Interviews
For my primary research I have conducted face to face in depth interview with the following
people:
Dr. Fahmida Begum, (2015, July 27) Consultant – Nephrology , Apollo Hospital DhakaMd.
Shaphawat Hossain, (2015, August 3 ) Counseling Psychologist, Assistant Student Counselor,
North South University
Aquib Bhuiyan ( 2015, August 5) Pharmacist, Tamanna Pharmacy, Uttara
For my first interview I interviewed Dr. Fahmida Begum. When I asked her what the
possible side effects of these over the counter (OTC) drugs are, she said though the side effects
of these medicines are not so visible but these drugs can cause significant damage to the internal
organs of a person’s body or can even lead to death. The most popular drugs which are being
abused in our society today are painkillers sleeping pills, paracetamol and antacid tablets. She
mentioned that once she received a case of a boy who was 22 years old and was a medical
student. During his exams he was having awful headache and took several painkillers for 2-3
days. That boy was brought in severe condition to the hospital and he died due to liver failure.
She said as teenagers these days stay awake at night and don’t get enough sleep, they think that
it’s better to take a sleeping pill so that they can get a sound sleep without knowing its harmful
effects. As sleeping pills and cough syrups are addictive medicine someone can easily be
dependent on them and can’t sleep without taking sleeping pills. Then eventually their body
starts to develop resistance against these drugs. These sleeping pills can lead to brain damage,
liver failure, liver cirrhosis, and respiratory disease. Most of the people are unaware of the

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harmful effects of taking these drugs and they think that it is ok to take those as it is not illegal
medicines. When I asked what can be done to prevent this problem she replied firstly awareness
should be created as most of the people are not aware of the side effects of these drugs.
Secondly, an instructions manual should be given with this drugs where the side effects of those
drug will be mentioned. Thirdly, Law should be strictly enforced on selling over the counter
drugs.
For my second interview I interviewed the Assistant Student Counselor, of North South
University Mr Shaphawat Hossain. When I asked him why teenagers get addicted to prescription
drugs, he replied that the main reasons of this addiction are frustration, family problems
relationship issues and curiosity. Sometimes teens just want to get high but they don’t have
affordability or accessibility to illegal drugs. So they go for prescription drugs as these are cheap
and easy to buy. Most of the parents are not aware of what their children are taking and even if
they know this they just completely ignore it thinking that these are medicines so it does not fall
under drug addiction. Once teenagers become dependent on it, they can’t live without those
medicines. He said teenagers who are at higher risk to develop abuse dependence are teenagers
with family histories of addiction, personal histories of substance abuse, eating disorders,
untreated depression and low self-esteem. Addicted teenagers can be irritable, restless,
depressed, unmotivated, and even suicidal. He also said teenagers coming off the medication
typically have difficulty concentrating (even if they had little to no problems with concentration
before starting the medication). He said addicted teenagers face some mental problems like
irritation, restlessness, depression, lack of motivation, and some can even go for suicide. When I
asked him how parents will identify if their child is addict, he replied it can be a little tricky to
detect if child is addicted to prescription drug or he is using it for medical purposes. He said

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usually prescription drug addicts show some symptoms like using drugs when not prescribed by
a physician, seeking out several different physicians to obtain the medication, lying to physicians
about symptoms to obtain the medication, buying the medication on the street and personality
changes. When I asked him what can be done to prevent young people from exploiting
prescription drug uses, he replied awareness should be created as most of the people don’t know
about the harmful effects of prescription drugs.
For my third interview I had interviewed Aquib Bhuiyan is a pharmacists and he works at
Tamanna Pharmacy. I asked him if they want any prescription when an individual comes to
purchase any drug. He replied that they don’t ask for any prescription as they are not instructed
to do so. When I asked him do they know that these teenagers abuse these drugs by purchasing
from them, he told me that he is totally unaware of this. He told me that most of the teenagers
usually ask for sleeping pills and medicines like alatrol, cough syrup, histacin, antacids etc.

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Summary of Research Findings
Through my research I have found that most of the people started prescription drug
addiction when they were teenagers. Most of the people think friends and class mates influenced
them to get addicted to prescription drug addiction. But they believe that family issues,
frustration and relationship problems drove them towards this addiction. Though some of them
said curiosity and just trying to get that high feeling are also responsible for their condition.
Majority of the addicted people said because of this addiction they have missed school/college
and it has affected their studies which ultimately lead to poor academic performance. It proves
one of my claims.
Most of these addicted people said even after knowing that they are addicted to
prescription drugs their family/society/peers remained same with them. Where other drug
addicted people are abandoned in our society, perspective of seeing these prescription drug
addicted people are different. Society often overlooks prescription drug addiction and don’t
understand the seriousness of this addiction where this addiction is equally or even more harmful
than any other illegal drug addiction. Most of the drug addicted people think this addiction is not
causing any harm to their body. These prescription drugs are harmful and overdose can
immediately cause death but addicted people are not even aware of the side effects of this
medicine
Most of the drug addicted people think they will not be able to quit this addiction. It
means that they have become dependent on these drugs to such an extent that they can’t quit this
addiction without expert help. They also think that frustration and peer pressure are not allowing
them to quit this addiction.

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By looking at all this information we can sum up to one thing that Prescription drug
addiction has become a very serious issue in Bangladesh and it is overlooked. This addiction is
very common among teenagers these days. This addiction is affecting teenager’s physical health
and destroying their future which ultimately proves my claim.

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Limitation
The research would have been better if some interviews of substance abuse counselor and
doctors of drug rehab centers could have been conducted which would have helped to know their
perspective regarding the issue. However, there are some limitations of this study. The study was
limited by a number of factors. Firstly, the sample size was very small to present the proposed
scenario. Secondly, time constraint led to get narrower outcomes and finally, the knowledge
constraint regarding the issue was another limitation for this study. The shortcomings may be
commented or suggested by the readers of the report.

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Recommendations
1) Health Ministry needs to come up with the guidelines for health practitioners and
pharmacists to adhere certain regulations while prescribing and selling prescription drugs.
Its quite imperative for the pharmacists to stop selling prescription drugs without
verifiable prescriptions. The health practitioners can maintain a database of patients along
with their name, date of birth, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Pharmacists can call
back to the respective health practitioner and confirm the authenticity of the prescription
and drugs recommended. This method can be considered as a baseline and depending on
the context, can be modified to provide the best output.
2) Family needs to monitor the use of prescription drugs among the teenagers and explain
them the importance of doctor consultation before taking any prescription drug. There
can be a voluntary service among the clinics that can provide free consultation to the
teenagers in the clinics the important of prescription drugs and the necessity to stop its
abuse. School, colleges and university can hold seminars that are mandatory for students
to attend and explain the importance of the issue.
`It’s important to realize that this is a generic concern and everyone from the society needs to do
their part to stop this abuse. It’s not a sole responsibility on the government neither on the health
practitioners. It’s the society, in general, that needs to declare war against prescription drug
abuse and act accordingly.

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Conclusion
It is imperative to understand the importance of resisting drug abuse among the teenagers
in the society considering its long term; impact. To build a formidable future, we need to have a
young generation free from anti-biotic and other prescription drug resistance. It is also important
to realize that prescription drug abuse among teenagers is a broader concern and every group
from the society have their own part to stop the abuse. Starting from the government to come up
with policies and regulations, the health practitioners and pharmacists to follow the regulations
set out religiously, the parents and senior members of the society to monitor the drug use by the
teenagers in their family, locality and most importantly adequate consultation with the teenagers
to explain the downsides of abusing prescription drugs and helping them to get over the issue
will be the preliminary steps to get rid of this critical social problem. If the society can act
together as a single force against prescription drug abuse, it will be possible to restrict the issue.

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References
1. A. Pawlowski. (2014, September 19). Secret life of teens: The dangerous drug
parents aren’t talking about with kids. Retrieved from:
http://www.today.com/parents/prescription-drug-abuse-part-secret-life-teens-
1D80157066
2. Khan, M. H. (2007, December 25). Drug Addiction and its remedies. Bangladesh
News. Retrieved from: http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/
3. Shemul, H. T. (2009, April 15). The impacts of drug on young generation of
Bangladesh. Modern Ghana. Retrieved from: http://www.modernghana.com/
4. Camí, J., & Farré, M. (2003, September 4). Mechanisms of Disease: Drug
Addiction. The New England Journal of Medicine, p. 975.
5. Shazzad, M.N., Abdal, S.J., Majumder, M.S.M., Sohel, J.U.A., Ali, S.M.M., &
Ahmed, S. (2013). Drug Addiction in Bangladesh and its Effect. Medicine Today (Vol.
25, p. 84).
6. Nestler, E.J., (1992, July). Molecular Mechanisms of Drug Addiction. The
Journal of Neuroscience.
7. McLellan, A.T., Lewis, D.C., O’Brien, C.P., & Kleber, H.D. (2009). Drug
Dependence, a Chronic Medical Illness: Implications for Treatment, Insurance, and
Outcomes Evaluation.
8. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Alcohol and Drug Abuse and
Addiction: A Health Care Professional’s Resource Guide, pp. 1-2.
9. Schreiner, M.D. (2012). A deadly combination: The legal response to America's
prescription drug epidemic. The Journal of Legal Medicine, 33, 529-539.

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10. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2014a). Drugs, brains, and behavior:
The science of addiction. Retrieved from: http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/
files/soa_2014.pdf
11. Office of National Drug Control Policy, (n.d.). Prescription drug abuse. Retrieved
from https://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/prescription-drug-abuse

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Annotated Bibliography
 McLellan, A.T., Lewis, D.C., O’Brien, C.P., & Kleber, H.D. (2009). Drug Dependence,
a Chronic Medical Illness: Implications for Treatment, Insurance, and Outcomes
Evaluation
This journal talks about the social consequence of drug addiction. Drug addiction is not
a health problem anymore it has become a social problem. These expensive effects of
drugs on all social systems have been important in shaping the public view that drug
dependence is primarily a social problem that requires interdiction and law enforcement
rather than a health problem that requires prevention and treatment.
 Pawlowski. (2014, September 19). Secret life of teens: The dangerous drug parents
aren’t talking about with kids. Retrieved from :
http://www.today.com/parents/prescription-drug-abuse-part-secret-life-teens-
1D80157066
This article discuss about prescription drug addiction about teenagers. Prescription drug
addiction is a raising problem among teenagers these days. Mainly parents are modeling
the wrong behavior. They share pain medicines with their kids; they share antibiotics
among the family. But when they're misused in any way, not only can they be dangerous,
they can be deadly as well.

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 Nestler, E.J., (1992, July). Molecular Mechanisms of Drug Addiction. The Journal of
Neuroscience.
This journal shows the results of recent research efforts that have begun to characterize
the neurobiological basis of compulsive drug use. Its major focus is on opiates and
cocaine, since the addictive mechanisms underlying the actions of these drugs are the best
understood
 Camí, J., & Farré, M. (2003, September 4). Mechanisms of Disease: Drug Addiction. The
New England Journal of Medicine, p. 975.
This journal talks about advances in the neurobiology of drug addiction have led to the
identification of neuronal substrates responsible for the rewarding effects of prototypical
drugs of abuse, which are crucial to the addictive process. There is increasing evidence
that prolonged exposure to drugs of abuse produces long-lasting effects in cognitive and
drug-rewarding circuits. For this reason, addiction should be considered a chronic
medical illness.
 Schreiner, M.D. (2012). A deadly combination: The legal response to America's
prescription drug epidemic. The Journal of Legal Medicine, 33, 529-539.
The journal talks about the current situation of prescription drug addiction in America.
In America after marijuana prescription drugs and over-the counter medications are the
most commonly abused drugs by high school students the most common drugs that are
being abused.

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Appendix
This questionnaire is designed for the purpose of doing a research on “Understanding the
current situation on prescription drug addiction among teenagers”. This is an academic
research and findings from this survey will only be used for academic purposes. Your honest
responses are appreciated.
Please circle your answer unless otherwise stated.
Gender: (a) Male (b) Female
Please mention your age _______
1. When you were a teenager have you ever used drugs other than those required for medical
reasons?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Sometimes
2. Do you still use prescription drugs?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Occasionally
3. At what age did you start taking drugs?
a) 13-15
b) 16-18
c) Please specify_________________
4. Who do you think influenced you to get addicted to prescription drugs?
a) Friends
b) Cousins
c) Class mates/Peers
d) Others (please specify) _________________________________
5. What factors drove you towards prescription drugs addiction?
(You can choose more than one answer option here)
a) Family issues
b) Relationship problems
c) Frustration
d) I was just curious to try this.
e) Others (Please specify)___________________________

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6. Have you ever missed school or college because of your drug use?
a) Never
b) Regularly
c) Occasionally
d) Rarely
e) Don’t know
7. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: “Prescription drugs addiction
leads to poor academic results”.
a) Strongly Disagree
b) Disagree
c) Neither agree or disagree
d) Agree
e) Strongly agree
8. When was the last time you used prescription drugs without any doctor’s recommendations?
a) Within last 2 days
b) Within last 3-7 days
c) Within 1 month
d) Others (Please specify)_____________________
9. Did your friend/society/peers abandon/neglect/avoid you because of this addiction?
a) Yes, they did not talk to me
b) No, they remained same after knowing this.
c) Others (please specify)________________________
10. Have you noticed any adverse effect of this addiction on your physical health?
a) No, I think I am fine
b) Yes, I think my health is deteriorating day by day
11. Do you think you will be able to quit?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Not sure
12. What factors are not allowing you to stop this addiction?
a) Peer pressure
b) Depression/ Frustration
c) Extreme work pressure
d) Others (Please specify) ____________________

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2. Do you still use prescription drugs other than prescribed?
Yes 18 56.25%
No 8 25%
Occasionally 6 18.75%
The purpose of this question was to see that if they still use it or not. 18 respondents out of 32
which are 56.25% said they still use it. 8 respondents said they don’t use it now and it is 25%.
Rest of the 6 respondents said occasionally they take prescription drugs and it is 6 18.75%. From
this I found that people who used to use prescription drug during teenage, still use prescription
drugs without any medical reasons.

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8. When was the last time you used prescription drugs without any doctor’s recommendations?
Within last 2 days 0 0%
Within last 3-7 days 6 18.75%
Within 1 month 20 62.5%
Others (Please specify) 6 18.75%
In this questions 20 respondents out of 32, means 62.5% said within one month they have used
prescription drug without any medical reasons. 6 respondents, means18.5% said within last 3-7
days, they have used drugs. Another 18.75% chose the other option but did not mention any
particular time limit.

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Research on Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction Among Teenagers

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Research on Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction Among Teenagers