Prescription drug abuse climbing globally

Dubai: The abuse of prescription medication is a growing public health concern in the UAE, said a senior expert in drug control.

The drugs said to be routinely misused include certain kinds of pain relievers, sedatives, antihistamines, tranquillisers and stimulants, and cold and cough medicines.

A nationwide initiative by the UAE ministries of health, interior and education is under way to combat medication abuse. The objective is to use a national electronic database and set policies.

The extent of the drug abuse problem cannot be established because official figures for the emirates aren’t available. However, globally, illicit prescription drug use is climbing.

The 2011 figures from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for the US estimates that 22.5 million Americans aged 12 or older — or 8.7 per cent of the population — had used an illicit drug or abused a psychotherapeutic medication like a pain reliever, stimulant, or tranquilliser.

The health consequences of misusing prescription medication can be harmful, even life-threatening, said Dr Ola Al Ahdab, pharmaceutical consultant for registration and drug control at the UAE Ministry of Health, speaking to Gulf News.

“The risk increases when people combine prescription medications with illegal drugs or alcohol,” she said.

Pharmaceutically, abuse is defined as any inappropriate use of prescription medications other than as directed or as indicated, whether wilful or unintentional, and whether harmful results or not. “Unlike illegal drugs, prescription medications can be procured easily as these are used for legitimate medical purposes,” she said.

The inappropriate use of prescription medications is a concern for the UAE, said Dr Ola, explaining that measures are being taken to inform patients that a drug has abuse potential. “A pharmacist plays an important role in educating patients, especially teenagers, about a drug’s abuse potential and the consequences and symptoms of medication abuse.”