Tens of thousands of addicts seek help each and every month for prescription drug abuse. While most drug abuse treatment admissions involving prescription drugs are of the opiate class, there are a significant number of addicts abusing amphetamine's. Many of these prescription drug abusers can be found on college campuses throughout the country.

The 2009 Treatment Episode Data Set provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)states there were 142,493 admitted to inpatient drug rehab centers throughout the country in 2009 for opiates other than heroin, which involves prescription pain killers. Prescription pain killer drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percoset and others are the leading drug addiction problem currently.  

While the 116,622 addicts admitted to inpatient rehab for amphetamine abuse are not specifically being treated for prescribed amphetamines, many experts estimate as much as one third of college students abused amphetamines prescription drugs like Adderral, Ritalin and others without a prescription. Even more students abuse prescription amphetamines that do have prescriptions.

Many college campus officials are taking proactive measures to curb the abuse of these amphetamine prescription drugs by implementing policies to improve the awareness of abuse, and legal consequences of selling prescribed drugs to others. Many drug rehab counselors feel that drug abuse of prescription drugs, regardless the drug, contributes significantly to illicit drug abuse and addiction. 

Opiate prescription drugs lead to heroin addiction while Adderral and Ritalin abusers  are eight times more likely to move onto abuse cocaine, methamphetamine and tranqulizers, and five times more likely to abuse pain relievers with 90% having abused alcohol in the last 30 days. (SAMHSA).

The statistics are not limited to the the nations larger cities and schools, as many as 100,000 prescription drug addicts struggle in Oklahoma with Oklahoma drug rehab centers indicating these numbers are low and do not include abuse of prescription stimulants.   

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