What is going on with with prescription drugs these days? We have stars dropping dead and the autopsies reveal prescription drug abuse.  Sure, the doctors are prescribing these drugs but should they? I think not.  Each week as I read the obituaries for my area, I am astounded by the sheer number of young people dying.  I have co-workers and friends telling me that their friends are dying from prescription drug overdoses.  The new drug of choice is a cocktail of painkillers mixed with pills for depression.  If alcohol is added to the mix, then it becomes deadly.

Why the sudden popularity of this drug cocktail?  How are these drugs so easily accessible? Do people really believe that they’re safer than street drugs?  Well, I hate to tell you but they’re not.  The only difference is that they’re legal.  There should be a strict limit regarding the amount of time a patient can be prescribed these potent medications.

I have recently learned that quite a few people I am associated with have some type of prescription drug addiction.  It starts out with a back injury or surgery and turns into an addiction that can’t be broken without professional help.  I’m so saddened by the sudden death of celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Brittany Murphy, and Corey Haim.  I just ask myself, “Why?” Although I’m sure everyone thinks it couldn’t possibly happen to them, the fact is that the body can only take so much.  These medications have serious side effects and when you mix them with other substances, they turn into a deadly poison.  Something must be done about this epidemic or we will continue to lose celebrities, loved ones, co-workers, and great friends.

I think my doctor had the right idea when he posted a sign in his waiting room that reads: “We do not prescribe narcotic drugs such as Vicodin or Oxycontin.”  You won’t believe how many people walk in, read the sign, and walk out. Sad.

“Drugs are a bet with your mind.” Jim Morrison

Author: Rhonda Gutierrez