WASHINGTON
(AP) — With abuse of prescription drugs growing rapidly, many
doctors and pharmacists say they have received limited training
in dealing with pain-relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers
and other controlled prescription drugs.
One
factor behind the growth is that people easily can get these
drugs from doctors, friends, relatives and through the Internet,
according to a study by the National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
Relying on various government reports, the study cited rapidly
rising rates of abuse of prescription drugs, especially among
teenagers.
About 15 million people in the U.S. abused controlled prescription
drugs and the amount of abuse has gone up sharply over the
past decade among all adults and especially among teens, according
to the center's analysis of federal data on drug use.
Prescription drug abuse is defined in the study as the taking
of prescription drugs not prescribed for the user or use of
prescription drugs taken only for the experience or feeling
it causes.
"We have an epidemic of abuse of painkillers," said Joseph
Califano Jr., the center's chairman and president. "The problem
with teens is a far more serious problem than anyone has ever
realized."
Many doctors and pharmacists surveyed by the center said they
have received only limited training in prescribing drugs.
Four in 10 doctors said they received no training in medical
school on prescribing controlled substances; more than one-half
received no training on identifying prescription drug abuse
or addiction. Three-fourths said they had no training in medical
school identifying diversion of prescription drugs for illicit
purposes.
Four in 10 pharmacists say they have received no instruction
since pharmacy school in dispensing prescription drugs. Almost
one-half said they have received no instruction since pharmacy
school in identifying prescription drug abuse or diversion
of prescription drugs.
The separate polls of 979 physicians and 1,030 pharmacists
were conducted during the summer of 2004 and each has a margin
of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
