Ten Percent of Americans Admit Taking Medication They Have Not Been Prescribed

A new poll finds 10 percent of Americans admit they have taken someone else’s prescription drugs. One-quarter of those people used the drugs to get high.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found about 60 percent of Americans who used someone else’s prescriptions were seeking pain relief, while 20 percent took them to sleep, or to manage anxiety and stress, Reuters reports.

Two-thirds of those who said they used other people’s prescriptions said the drugs were given to them by a family member, friend or acquaintance. Some people use another person’s prescriptions to save on costs, the article notes.

Dr. Wilson Compton, a Division Director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, warned against taking someone else’s prescription drugs. He noted doctors prescribe specific dosage levels according to a person’s individual needs. “Simply because it’s a medicine that comes from a pharmacy does not mean it is without risk,” he said. “There’s a reason they require a prescription.”

The online poll included the responses of 6,438 American adults.