Pharmacists role in treating and preventing substance abuse

Substance abuse is a major societal problem. The term “substance abuse” includes those diseases as described by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria as “psychoactive substance use disorders. ” Psychoactive substances are abused primarily to depress, stimulate or distort brain activity. Examples include alcohol, tobacco, street drugs (e.g. marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], gammahydroxybutyrate [GHB], inhalants, methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA]) and other prescription and nonprescription drugs(e.g.oxycodone, ketamine, methadone, and dextromethorphan). Substance abuse frequently coexists with and complicates other psychiatric disorders, and it is common and often unrecognized cause of physical morbidity. Collectively, substance abuse contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in our population and to the cost of health care. Pharmacists have unique, comprehensive knowledge, about the safe and effective use of medications and about the adverse effects of their inappropriate use. By providing clear information on how to take a medication appropriately and describing possible side effects or drug interactions