Jan. 22--These drugs aren't cooked up in labs hidden in basements or bathrooms. And they're used every day by your co-worker, your next door neighbor, and your child's classmates.

But these drugs can still kill.

Addiction to prescription medication is becoming more common and often has the same devastating results as illicit drugs.

Kevin Oliver, with Phoenix Counseling Services, said he works with a lot of clients who have an addiction to legal drugs.

"Pills are our biggest issue. Prescription meds. It's really hitting hard," he said.

Lt. Durwin Briscoe with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office called the addiction to pain killers "up and coming."

Briscoe said the abuse of prescription drugs has increased so much in recent years that out of the eight narcotics officers assigned to his unit, he has one officer dedicated solely to the purpose of investigating the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs.

'Doctor shopping'

Briscoe said there are several ways people can get their hands on the pills, including what is known as "doctor shopping," where a patient comes up with an ailment, goes from doctor to doctor for prescriptions and then has them all filled.

He said some patients will take enough of the pills for themselves and sell the surplus.

Others will call the police after they fill their prescription and claim the medicine had been stolen in order to get a refill.

"Officers can usually tell if it's legitimate," Briscoe said.

The common pills people abuse are the painkillers -- Hydrocodone, Vicodin, Xanax and Percocet.

Briscoe said they also see an increased use of methadone, previously prescribed to wean people off of heroin but now prescribed for pain. When combined with Xanax, it is a lethal combination.

Abuse by children

Briscoe said some middle school students prescribed Ritalin or Adderall are bringing the drugs to school to share or sell to friends. Other kids are getting the pills from their parents' or grandparents' medicine cabinets.

Is it as much of a problem as illegal drugs?

"It's getting that way," Briscoe said. "A lot of people don't look at it as bad as illegal drugs. Plus it's easier to get their hands on it."

Fighting the problem

Gary Harden, co-owner of Shelby Drug on Grover Street, said -- while abuse is on the rise -- efforts are being made to limit access to prescription medication.

A DEA Web site connects all the pharmacies in the state so pharmacists can access information that lets them know where and when a patient has had a prescription filled.

Hardin said if a customer appears to be suspicious they will alert their doctor.

Briscoe said law enforcement is working with doctor's offices, pharmacists and healthcare professionals to combat the problem.

Projects like Operation Medicine Cabinet are also helping to get rid of unneeded drugs. People drive through and drop off old prescriptions, no questions asked.

"Anyone with old prescription drugs can dump them with no questions asked," Briscoe said.

Briscoe said they have already had one drive this year and are planning another in March in Kings Mountain.

Prescription drugs are now the number one illicit drug among 12 and 13-year-olds, according to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Although high school drug use is down across the country, in the past 10 years, the rate of prescription drug abuse among teens has risen steadily. Nearly one in five -- 4.5 million--admits to abusing medications not prescribed to him or her, reported the 2005 Partnership Attitude Tracking Survey conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Accidental-poising deaths among youths ages 15 to 24 increased 113 percent between 1999 and 2004, mostly due to prescription and illegal drug abuse, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Upping overdose risks: Four out of 10 teens believe that prescription meds are much safer to use than illegal drugs--even when they are not prescribed by a doctor. What's more, nearly three out of 10 teens thing these drugs are not addictive, according to the Partnership study.

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