Archive for October, 2011

Prescription Drug Abuse

When a prescription drug is used in quantities more than the recommended dosage or when not required, it is termed drug abuse. Painkillers, tranquilizers and anti-anxiety drugs are some of the most commonly abused prescription drugs.

Generally, patients take medicines as prescribed by their doctors. When taken this way, there is very little chance of the patient getting addicted. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), millions of people today use medications for non-medical purposes.

People try to justify drug abuse by convincing themselves that an overdose of prescription drugs is not as bad as street drugs such as heroin or ecstasy. The truth is that any kind of abuse is unwarranted. The problem with prescription drug abuse is that it starts with the consumption of a few extra pills for quick relief. The patient does not realize that abuse or addiction is likely.

If the doctor discontinues the prescription, an addict will seek out another doctor for a prescription of the same drug under false pretexts. Abusers use various methods to get a high. They even mix prescription drugs with alcohol, marijuana or any other similar drug. Drugs such as Ritalin and OxyContin are among the most abused drugs. Prescribing these drugs is carefully monitored and given only when urgently required. Read the rest of this entry »

Importance of Urine Analysis Drug Test

With increasing drug abusing population day by day, it is very much necessary to identify the drug abusers and make them stay away from harmful drugs of abuse. Drug testing helps in detecting the drug abusers by tracing the elevated levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites in the specimen provided. There are many types of drug testing methods which use samples like urine, blood, hair, saliva or sweat for detecting the drug concentration.

Of them, urine tests are commonly used for detecting the drug abusers as they are inexpensive, easy to handle, provide quick results and less intrusive (compared to blood tests). Urine drug testing is generally used to evaluate the recent illicit drug abuse. It is a process of chemical analysis designed to test the suspect using urine sample. With the scientific advancement in drug testing methods, there is a rapid development in commercial urine testing kits which are often reliable and inexpensive (generally cost around $2 to $10).

Can detect drugs like alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines etc.
Urine testing kits available today can detect different types of illicit drugs of abuse. Some of the common drugs that can be detected using urine tests are alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, benzodiazepines, ecstasy, methadone etc. Read the rest of this entry »

Importance of Drug Testing at Home

A Drug test is scientific examination of urine, hair, and other fluid samples like saliva or sweat from the body, which detects whether a person is taking drugs or not. Drug test are generally done at schools, work places, government offices, medical institutions, and more. However, nowadays even parents can decide whether their children are taking drugs or not with the help of simple home drug testing kits. Parents can conveniently get samples without awareness of their children and perform drug test.

Commonly abused drugs
The common harmful drugs are THC (marijuana, weed, smoke, pot, hash), Cocaine (crack, skitz, snow), Methamphetamines/MDMA (ice, ecstasy, crank, crystal, glass), Opiates (heroin, horse, oxycontin vicodin, morphine, codeine, nicotine), Amphetamines (speed, uppers, go), and Benzodiazepines (bars, roofies, date rape drug, valium, librium, xanax). Different drugs have different consequences. Some drugs, like cocaine or methamphetamine, may create an intense “rush” (hurriedness) and create feelings of tremendous energy. Other drugs, like heroin, benzodiazepines or the prescription oxycontin, may create feelings of relaxation and calm (motionless). Most of the drugs have excess stimulation of the pleasure point of the brain in common.

When used relevantly, prescription drugs will have good effects medically or psychologically. Prescription drugs in the opiate family, such as vicodin (hydrocodone) and oxycontin, are generally specified for chronic pain or recovery from surgery. Benzodiazapines, such as Valium or Xanax are prescribed to treat anxiety. If these drugs are used without prescription, then it gives rise to many health problems. Read the rest of this entry »