Prescription for Danger--Trends in Teen Drug Abuse Using the catch-phrase "There's a new dealer in town," the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) reported in January on "the troubling trend of prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse among the nation's teens." The report notes that: • More teens abuse prescription drugs than any illicit drug except marijuana; • Most of the abusing teens get their prescription drugs easily and for free, primarily from friends and relatives; • The prescription drugs most often abused are painkillers that were prescribed to treat pain; depressants such as sleeping pills or anti-anxiety drugs; and stimulants that were prescribed to treat attention-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); • The over-the-counter drugs most often abused are cough and cold remedies that contain dextramethorphan, a cough suppressant; • Many teens believe prescription and OTC drugs provide a safe "high." That last point has been belied, the ONDCP said, by a dramatic increase in recent years in the number of poisonings and deaths associated with abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The report notes that serious medical consequences can follow, especially when the teenagers mix OTC or prescription drugs with alcohol or other drugs in what the ONDCP calls "a risky combination." Parents and caregivers whose medicine chests may be raided by teens looking for drugs are a first-line defense against abuse, the report says, but the ONDCP has advice for school and health professionals, as well, including how to spot signs and symptoms of drug abuse, including: • Constricted pupils, nausea and vomiting, respiratory depression (pain reliever abuse); • Anxiety and delusions, flushed skin, chest pain with heart palpitations (stimulant abuse); and • Slurred speech, dizziness, respiratory depression (depressant abuse). Schools are advised to properly dispose of old or unused medicines, and to set clear rules about not sharing medicines with friends. Health professionals are urged to make sure their patients, especially teens 12 years of age and older, understand the risks of drug abuse. To keep professionals informed, here are some of the definitions used in the report: • Painkillers (opioids) are prescribed to alleviate pain and include drugs prescribed after surgery. Examples of narcotics/painkillers are oxycodone (OxyContin), propoxyphrene (Darvon), hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and meperidine (Demerol); • Depressants slow normal brain function and are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. In higher doses, some depressants can become general anesthetics. Tranquilizers (benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax) and sedatives are examples of depressants, as are barbiturates such as Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, and Phenobarbital. • Stimulants increase alertness, concentration, and energy, which are accompanied by increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. Stimulants are prescribed to treat narcolepsy (a rare form of sleep disorder), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression that has not responded to other treatments. Examples of prescription stimulants include Biphetamine, Dexedrine, and methylphenidates such as Ritalin and Adderall. If you need to know what constitutes "abuse," it is defined as "use of prescription medications without medical supervision for the intentional purpose of getting high, or for a reason other than what the medication was intended, regardless of prescription status." That's different from "misuse," which is defined as missing doses or not taking medication with food as recommended on the actual prescription. The ONDCP report, “Prescription for Danger: A Report on the Troubling Trend of Prescription and Over-the Counter Drug Abuse Among the Nation's Teens," is available online at http://theantidrug.com/pdfs/prescription_report.pdf. |
