RX Abuse: Still a growing problem

Surrounding recent high profile celebrities deaths, including Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and the recent hospitalization of Demi Moore the abuse of Prescription Drugs is not getting better it seems to be getting worse.

A report in 2009 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 20 percent of teens had admitted to having taken a prescription medication, without a prescription.

In 2010, the Monitoring the Future survey found that prescription drugs were the most commonly used drugs after alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. Lastly, another study among adolescents reported that 7.7 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds reported misuse of prescription drugs. The confusion amont teens,  that prescription drugs are "safer" to use than illicit drugs, can have truly deadly consequences.

The most commonly abused prescription drugs fall into several categories, including: painkillers (Vicodan, Percocet, oxycontin), stimulants (used for ADHD such as Adderall, Ritalin), and depressants (used for anxiety and sleep, such as Xanax, Valium, klonopin). While all of these classes of drugs are safe when used appropriately, when taken illegally and in combination, the side effects can kill you. Mix any of these with alcohol, as so many teens and young adults are doing, and you may have respiratory depression and then your heart can stop! Or combine it with Energy drinks mixed with caffiene and other stimulants can cause a cardiac arrest.

How to tell if your teen is abuse Prescription Drugs

Some signs that your teen might be using prescription and/or over-the-counter drugsinclude constricted pupils, slurred speech,or flushed skin. Other signs and symptoms may vary, but parents should be alert to the following: personality changes, mood swings, rritability, excessive energy, sleepiness or avoiding sleep, sweating, loss of appetite, forgetfulness, or clumsiness.

Watch for signs around the house such as missing pills, unfamiliar pills, or empty cough and cold medicine bottles or packages. If your teen has a prescription, keep control of the bottle. Be alert to your teen running out of pills quickly, losing pills, or requesting refills.

Other signs might include secretiveness, loss of interest in personal appearance, borrowing money or having extra cash, skipping classes, or not doing well in school.

What can I do about this problem?

Think about your home. What prescription and over-the-counter drugs do you have? Where are they kept? Would you know if some were missing? The good news is that you can take steps immediately to limit access to these drugs and help keep your teen drug-free:

1. Safeguard all drugs at home. Monitor quantities and control access.
2. Set clear rules for teens about all drug use, including not sharing medicine and always following the medical provider’s advice and dosages.
3. Be a good role model by following these same rules with your own medicines.
4. Properly conceal and dispose of old or unused medicines in the trash.
5. Ask friends and family to safeguard their prescription drugs as well. 

Talk to your teen about the dangers of abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs. These are powerful drugs that, when misused, are just as dangerous as illegal street drugs. Tell your teen it’s not worth the risk.

To learn more about teen prescription drug abuse, visit http://www.theantidrug.com/ or call 1-800-788-2800 to request free materials. For information about a drug treatment center close to you, visit http://www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ or call the SAMHSA Health Information Network (SHIN) at the number listed above.