In about 44 million American households, at least one person lives in chronic physical pain. Painkillers are legal. For many Americans, they provide indispensable salves for chronic and debilitating pain. While not yet a national epidemic, prescription drug abuse is a growing problem, and its victims are people who do not fit drug abuse stereotypes. About 17 percent of people older than 60 are prescription drug abusers.
Women are more likely to misuse narcotics and anti-anxiety drugs prescribed to treat depression.
In 1998, an estimated 1.6 million Americans abused prescription pain relievers for the first time, a more than threefold increase from reported first-time abuse in the 1980s. An estimated 4 million people, or about 2 percent of the population over age 12, use prescription pain relievers, sedatives, tranquilizers or stimulants in unauthorized ways. While there is no single villain, the links in the distribution chain must continue to be strengthened. Doctors must closely monitor patients for signs of drug abuse. Pharmacists must look carefully at prescriptions for signs of forgery, and call the doctor if the prescription looks suspicious.