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By Chloe Zhen
Pharmacies are a place for people to get some simple cough syrup or get their prescription drugs. However, people misusing drugs might attempt to change providers to get multiple prescriptions or hide the amount of medication they have to get more.
According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 7.6 million people misused prescription opioids during that year. The main sources of obtaining medications that were misused were from doctors or from relatives.
Pharmacies use many methods to prevent various age groups from accessing medications they do not need.
For teenagers, access to medications at pharmacies is fairly limited; however, most over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, such as cold medicine or pain relievers, can be easily purchased without age restrictions. They can also access medications kept at home or from friends who can access their family’s medications, according to the Nationwide Children’s organization.
Adults generally have the easiest access to medications because they can obtain prescriptions independently. With fewer restrictions, adults might misuse medications by taking higher doses for pain relief, one of the most common reasons for misusing medicine.
Older adults often rely on pharmacies more heavily for painkillers and medications, especially for chronic conditions which can create a slippery slope into addiction. Individuals ages 26 and older were found to have the highest percentage of prescription opioid misuse in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Pharmacies hold a huge responsibility in ensuring the security of their medications and teaching people how to use medications safely. They can work to prevent substance abuse by tracking the amount of medication given and checking the IDs used. They also educate people on how to use their prescriptions and keep their medications non-accessible to anyone else.
Pharmacies are an essential resource in educating about and preventing medication misuse and ensuring medications stay in the right hands.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
