Legal drugs

Once it was cocaine, speed or heroin, but now the fashion is for legal pills. News of overdose of prescription tablets shed light on a startling new trend - misuse of over the counter pills now kills more people around the world (starting with America) than illegal drugs.

The most commonly abused prescription medications fall into three categories:

• Opiate-based painkillers (OxyContin and Percocet)

• Central nervous system depressants prescribed for anxiety and sleep disorders (Valium and Xanax)

• Stimulants, used to treat attention deficit disorders (Ritalin and Adderall).

In these three categories, the pharmaceutical industry has provided substitutes for just about every illegal narcotic available.

Methylphenidate, the active chemical in Ritalin, targets the brain the same way as cocaine. Antidepressants can act as serotonin boosting (uppers).

OxyContin, an extremely powerful painkiller developed for cancer patients, became known as legal heroin (also easier to get).

Such mishandled drugs now kill tens of thousands of people each year, nearly twice as many as 10 years ago.

If you or your loved one is abusing these drugs, get help before it is too late. Call us now for an assessment.