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The media has been all over this topic since the death of Michael Jackson. There needs to be a new focus on this issue of over-prescribing prescription medication. It must be recognized as a serious and dangerous problem for our society. The abuse of prescription medication is widespread and frightening. This type of drug abuse not only affects well-known celebrities, but also the soccer mom living right next door.

Prescription drugs are crucial for the patient suffering from a terminal illness; someone dealing with severe pain sustained from an injury or a patient recovering from surgery. Unfortunately, there is a major problem of prescription drug abuse that needs our immediate attention.

We go to the Doctor with many aches and pains. We have confidence that we will be treated with respect and our problems solved. Often we expect a pill to do the trick and leave with hopes of immediate relief. The Doctor is compassionate and trusts that the symptoms presented to him/her are honest and true.

The Doctor writes a prescription for a narcotic pain reliever and the patient fills this prescription at a popular drug store. The patient leaves the drug store and drives down the block to see a Dentist. After explaining to the Dentist that he/she has been up all night with a terrible tooth- ache, the dentist takes an x-ray and determines there is in fact an infection in the tooth. After prescribing an anti-biotic and pain pill, the patient leaves with an appointment to return the following day to have the tooth extracted. The patient leaves the dental office, drives across town to a different but well-know drug store and has the prescription filled for pain, tossing the anti-biotic in the garbage on the way into the pharmacy. The patient never intends to keep the appointment the next day. He has accomplished his goal for the day.

This scenario is happening all over this country. The patient is often sincere and in obvious discomfort. The Doctor, being compassionate and professional wants to do his job and help his/her patient. The patient spends his time, day after day tricking Doctors/Dentists for legal, narcotic prescription drugs. The abuse of these drugs is becoming epidemic.

To begin with, legal pain medication is easy to obtain. After all, the patient has a written, legal prescription from the doctor. He/she walks into any pharmacy with this piece of paper and the Pharmacists fills the prescription, which is his/her profession. The cycle begins and continues.

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