What are the top 10 most dangerous "PERSCRIPTION" drugs.?

Question

What are the top 10 most dangerous "PERSCRIPTION" drugs.?

a list from 1-10 staring with the most dangerous.

thank you

Answer 1

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There are many thousands of drugs that are rated as being dangerous due to its potential for abuse and or toxicity, and therefor all drugs prescribed or illicit are classified into schedules, and many drugs can be dangerous, if taken incorrectly, mixed with other drugs and or alcohol.

The US has classifications of drugs into schedules from I-V;

Schedule I is drus of addiction such Herion, GHB, LSD etc and do not have a recognized medicinal use.

Schedule II is drugs or other substance that has a potential for abuse, such as Methylphenidate (Ritalin) & Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin) (used for ADD/ADHD), Opium, Methadone (used for heroin addiction and treatment of extreme chronic pain), Oxycodone, Morphine and Pethidine, and have a recognized medicinal use.

Schedule III is drugs that still have a potential for abuse but supposedly less so than the above, Hydrocodone, codeine, Ketamine.

Australia has all drugs illicit or prescribed classified into schedules too, but from schedule 1-8 schedule 2 is over the counter medications etc, through to schedule 8 which is a controlled substance.

I doubt that you will get a accurate list as this may vary from Government bodies and country to country.

Sorry I could not be of more help.

Edit;
I only noted a few drugs that are scheduled, and I gave a link to the DEA which it states clearly that is is not a comprehensive list. But many drugs if not all drugs are evaluated for the potential for abuse etc, even over the counter medications have been assessed for potential abuse and or dangerous reactions etc. Here is some further reading which may help clarify things.
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/csa.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_…

Source(s):

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling…
http://www.tga.gov.au/ndpsc/gazette/g980…
http://drbenkim.com/ten-most-dangerous-d…

Answer 2

this is not a good question. All prescription drugs can be equally dangerous when not taken correctly.

Answer 3

i guess it depends on your definition of dangerous...
dangerous could be makes you so high you could fall out a window thinking you can fly to the bunny clouds, or so addicting that once on them you will die from not taking them, or most explodes with another chemical, or worst side effects or most life threating.

Answer 4

Any medication can be dangerous if prescribed improperly or used improperly. And there are some which are more likely to cause issues than others if used improperly. However, there is a greater risk of this occurring with the seemingly safe over-the counter medications, and the unregulated natural cures and supplements, which are often used to excess or added to prescription medications making the combination of the two unsafe.

The US has a long testing process, which is privately funded research by the pharmaceutical industry. For this reason it often will cost hundreds of millions to billions of dollars to release a drug in the US.

The FDA in an effort to get needed medications to the public, often streamlines the use of some medications they feel has a lifesaving role. This short cuts the system, but also decreases the number of patients the medication is tested on.

As I sure you have seen, companies normally have to pay patients to participate in the medication research which adds to the cost, but also can in some ways alter the results to some extent as the broad general public usually doesn't have the time or inclination to go through the testing process.

Given that, there are medications which have a greater potential for causing harm.

some include, (in no specific order):
Serevent

Celebrex

Opiate medications have a high risk if misused or abused and all can be addictive so any opiate could be listed in a dangerous medication list.

Non steroidal Anti-inflammatory medications (these are available in prescription and non prescription strengths) these are in many cases the most dangerous, because people feel they are safe since they can buy them off the shelf anywhere and ibuprofen and naproxen are included in many combination medications including Midol. However, more people die annually from gastric bleeding and side effects from these medications than from AIDS.

Anti-anxiety medications- such as Xanax and Valium cause many deaths are very addicting and have a high incidence of seizures and deaths during withdrawals.

Antidepressants if taken improperly or mixed with the wrong medications. Especially in the pediatric population some antidepressant may actually increase the incidence of suicide.

Stimulant medications (Commonly given for ADD/ADHD) these are often diverted and misused.

That is seven but some of those include numerous medications so I will stop.

Answer 5

To correct or apmlify the information provided by Georgie, as ir can be misunderstood as he has presented it. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Schedule of Drugs I-V refers to their potential for abuse and addiction, rather than any danger necessarily posed by the medication or drug. Therefore there are drugs which are not considered medications in Schedule I which are considered to have no medical value and a high potential for abuse, such as heroin. Most prescription medications used in the US are not scheduled drugs, but are still considered dangerous and therefore require an educated health care provider to prescribe and/or dispense the medication.