By: Elizabeth Ryan

Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on a prescription medication and 20 percent are taking five or more medications, according to a study Mayo Clinic released last week.

The most common drugs prescribed were for chronic health conditions, like diabetes, but the second most common were for depression.

At the college level, 12 percent of Minnesota students said they were taking antidepressants last year, according to Boynton Health Service’s College Student Health Survey.

The next most common drug were opiates, or strong painkillers, which can have major side effects if people overmedicate.

“It’s very useful, but it can very, very addictive,” said Ping-Yee Law, University of Minnesota pharmacology professor.

Opiates are used in cases like broken bones, wisdom teeth removal and recovery after surgeries.

Law estimated between five and 15 percent of people who use opiates medicinally get addicted to the drugs.

“It all depends on the duration,” he said.  “The people who get addicted are the ones who use the drugs for daily function.”

Law said recreational use is the “biggest problem” with opiates because a doctor can’t prove how much pain a person is feeling.

“If you take an x-ray and see a mild inflammation in the spine, you can always say, ‘I’m in really severe pain,’ and no one can tell how extensive it is,” he said.

Less than one percent of college students said they used opiates illegally in Boyton’s survey.

But Law said abuse of prescription opiate drugs is more common than that, especially considering new ways to access them.

“Go to the internet,” he said, “and you can find out how many doctors will write you a prescription.”

For more on student and expert reactions to prescription drug use, pick up Wednesday’s Minnesota Daily.