Just say no ... to misuse/abuse of prescription drugs Published June 9, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Joel Mease 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Taking prescription medication not prescribed to a military servicemember is no laughing matter. In fact, the Air Force takes it fairly seriously. "Misusing prescription medications can have adverse personal impacts," said Capt. Will Babor, 7th Bomb Wing Legal Office Chief Military Justice. "In the past year there have been four courts-martial for misuse of prescription medications." The misuse of medication isn't just limited to using another person's medication, and all of them can have serious consequences. "Using expired prescriptions, sharing your prescribed medications with others, and using prescription medications in manners not intended are all criminal activities," Captain Babor said. The misuse of medication is something that always has always been a concern for the military. "Approximately 50 percent of our positive drug test results this year were in the area of misuse and abuse of prescription medication," said Theodis Talbert, 7th Bomb Wing Drug Demand Reduction program manager. One of the reasons the Air Force takes misuse seriously are the potential health affects that can happen when taking a pill not prescribed to the servicemember. According the 7th Medical Group, drugs mixed with other medication can cause serious complications or the medication taken may result in an allergic reaction. "If self-medication occurs before the evaluation of a health care provider, important signs and symptoms can be masked, causing incorrect diagnoses and delayed or improper treatment," said the 7th Medical Group officals. "For aircrew taking medication without a flight surgeon's input could cause unexpected and unintended effects in the environment of flight." "If you have questions about how or when you can use your medicationsm, get with your primary care manager or the doctor who prescribed the medicine, they will provide you the knowledge necessary," Captain Talbert said. While the majority of misuse of medication may come from self-medicating, another serious problem the Air Force has with improper use is the potential of the drug being sold illegally. "The worst case scenario for an Airman is to give it someone, and then they turn around and sell it," Mr. Talbert said. "Some of these medications can go for $20 or more on the street." The problem Mr. Talbert finds is some Airmen don't view prescription medication as a serious issue. "Some people look at prescription medication as not a drug," Mr. Talbert said. "The excuses we hear when they get a positive result are often the same as they didn't know or they were surprised to find out it is illegal." "There are always up and downswings with the misuse of prescription medication," Mr. Talbert said. "We just want to always be working to curb the misuse of medication. It's just not a one agency job to reduce this problem -- it involves everyone from doctors, OSI, legal office and even the supervisor of Airmen. We all can help combat the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs." One thing is certain if you do misuse or abuse prescription drugs, there is zero tolerance for it in the Air Force.