More Americans were abusing controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin put together between 1992 and 2003, as per a report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

Joseph Califano, chairman and founder of the center and a former health secretary, said the nation is in middle of an epidemic of controlled prescription drug abuse and addiction.

From News-Medical.Net:

The most likely drugs to be abused were opioids, or pain relievers such as OxyContin or Vicodin; central nervous system depressants such as Valium or Xanax; stimulants including Ritalin or Adderall and anabolic-androgenic steroids like Anadrol or Equipoise.

The report says the problem can be seen in all sections of the community, across all age groups, ethnic groups and in all socio-economic groups.

In 2003, 2.3 million 12 to 17 year-olds (almost one in 10) abused least one controlled prescription drug. Girls were more likely than boys to be abusers.

The report says that teenagers who abuse drugs are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times as likely to use marijuana, 12 times likelier to use heroin and 21 times likelier to use cocaine than teens who do not abuse such drugs.

The report disclosed that the number of Americans who admitted to abusing prescription drugs almost doubled to reach over 15 million from 1992 to 2003.