If you are at home watching television during prime time, how many prescription drug commercials do you see in one sitting? One, two, even five will sometimes cross the airwaves in one hour. The concern becomes, if there are so many commercials for these medications, who are the people taking them? Chances are that your employees have seen those prescription commercials and could be tempted to contact their doctor for a prescription. Although it is good for your employees to communicate with their physicians, they could potentially be at risk of abusing prescription medications.
Most of these commercials are for things like cholesterol, diabetes, and osteoporosis – but what about the prescriptions that aren’t advertised like Vicodin, Oxycontin, or Percodan? These medications work by blocking pain perception, and are prescribed for acute pain, chronic pain, or pain following surgery.
These medications are very sedating and accidents can occur. If your employees are using these medications at work, there is a very high risk of falling down, cutting one’s self accidently, or other workplace injuries.
Other prescription drugs that are commonly abused are stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall which are often prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHA). Typically the abuse is for the intoxicating effect, but it is also for its performance-enhancing qualities that increase the ability to work and concentrate at late hours.
Often these drug abusing employees go unnoticed by employers because they are legal substances, right? They have a prescription, or just take them every once in a while for that sore back, or maybe for that extra shift to stay awake. Your employees need to know that just because they are legal, they are JUST as lethal. Awareness is key, so offer education about the dangers of prescription medication abuse at the workplace, and also provide the information about where they can get addiction treatment.
If you think that one of your employees may be abusing illegal or prescription drugs, contact Proof:Positive for information about our Onsite Drug Testing Programs.
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