Despite the increasing abundance of prescription substances produced by the present pharmaceutical industry, the number of drugs that can be used for recreational purposes is minimal. The primary reason for this situation is that over eight of ten pharmaceuticals are not psychoactive; that is, they are designed specifically for the body, not the mind (Goode, 2015). For instance, five therapeutic agents, such as respiratory remedies, cancer drugs, antidiabetics, lipid regulators, and antipsychotics, cover one-third of the money spent on pharmaceuticals. The rest mostly are spent on HIV antivirals, antibiotics, blood pressure medications, and others. Furthermore, even psychoactive medications cannot be applied as recreational drugs because many of them belong to the classification of antipsychotics and antidepressants (Goode, 2015). Despite their direct effect on the nervous system, primarily by increasing serotonin content in the brain, these medications do not typically provoke euphoria, excitement, or other abnormal but enjoyable states.
Nevertheless, there are some pharmaceuticals that fall into the category of exceptions. Two main medications belonging to recreational psychoactive drugs include numerous benzodiazepines, or Valium-type sedatives, and narcotics, especially oxycodone and hydrocodone. Oxycodone generics, OxyContin, Endocet, alprazolam, clonazepam, diazepam (Valium), and generic lorazepams were frequently used by druggies for recreational purposes (Goode, 2015). However, many such drugs became significant contributors to visiting the emergency department because of their toxicity to the nervous system when misused and abused. Besides, the short-and intermediate-acting barbiturates, including Tuinal, Seconal, and Nembutal, were first used as a sedative and anti-anxiety agents but then were widely applied recreationally (Goode, 2015). It is worth adding that barbiturates acting like alcohol are even more harmful than heroin, inducing strong withdrawal syndrome that entails trembling, muscular twitching, nausea, pains in the head and body, anxiety, and nervousness. Finally, some tranquilizers also were consumed by individuals as recreational drugs, but their use is minor.
Reference
Goode, E. (2015). Drugs in American society (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education