Prescription Drug Abuse by Teens

The new drug threat to teens today is likely to be in your house already … prescription drug abuse.

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Prescription drugs are easy to get and often free to teens. All they have to do is walk out of their bedroom, down the hall into the bathroom, and look in the medicine cabinet; or for OTC, go to the nearest supermarket. They can also get prescription drugs from friends at school, who have brought them from home or stolen them from a family friend or relative. Although the internet is a wonderful tool, teens today are using it to buy prescription drugs from illegal pharmacies, and also handing them out to their friends. Prescription and OTC drugs are very effective when people follow proper dosages and are supervised by a medical doctor. However, this is a new and disturbing trend parents need to know about.

Today some teens are abusing prescription and OTC drugs, intentionally, to get high. And these drugs can be just as addictive and lethal as illegal drugs. When teens intentionally abuse these drugs to get high, it’s not just a couple of pills or an extra swig of cough syrup. In some cases, teens are ingesting anywhere from a few pills to dozens or more a day, or drinking up to 3-5 bottles of cough syrup a day, or mixing them with alcohol, which is called Pharming.

Educate yourself and your teen about the risks. Prescription drugs can be just as dangerous and as addictive as “street drugs,” and can be lethal. Talk to your teen about the dangers of these drugs. I am going to educate you as to the different types of prescription drugs that are most commonly used among teens today and what the signs, symptoms and effects are. This is a very important page in the Drug and Alcohol Abuse section, because these drugs are so easy to come by for teens.

The main places that teens find the drugs are your very own home, your neighbors homes, their friends homes, pharmacies, on the inherent and at school. If you are familiar with what to look for and how to look if you suspect that your teen is abusing prescription drugs, then you are one step ahead of most of the nation, and I am hoping that this page will put you one step ahead.

There are many different reasons for the rise in prescription drug abuse by young people.

Escape and boredom
Preservation of friendships, romantic relationships, and family life;
Competing for college admission, including competition for Advanced Placement and Honors courses in high school;
The balance between school work, grades, and extracurricular activities like sports and clubs; and
Desire to have the “ideal” physical appearance.

Prescription drugs come in all shapes and sizes, but I have compiled a list below of the main types that are being abused by teens today. Please note that I have provided you with quite a bit of information.

To see an index of the most common abused drugs, please click here.

Depressants or downers, are prescribed to treat a variety of health conditions including anxiety and panic attacks, tension, severe stress reactions and sleep disorders. Also referred to as sedatives and tranquilizers, depressants can slow normal brain function.

While different depressants work in unique ways, they produce a drowsy or calming effect that is beneficial to those suffering from anxiety or sleep disorders. Because they can produce a state of intoxication, they yield a high potential for abuse.

The physical side effects of depressant use includes dilated pupils and slurred speech; relaxed muscles; intoxication; loss of motor coordination; fatigue, respiratory depression; sensory alteration; calmness; and lowered blood pressure.

The psychological side effects include poor concentration or feelings of confusion; impaired judgment; lowered inhibitions; anxiety reduction; feelings of well-being.

Withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, muscle tremors, and loss of appetite. Although withdrawal from depressants such as benzodiazepines can be problematic, it is rarely life threatening. However, abrupt cessation or reduced high dosage of other depressants can have life-threatening complications and may cause convulsions, delirium, and in rare instances, death. This is because all depressants work by slowing the brain's activity and when an individual stops taking them, the brain rebounds and races out of control.

Overdose or death is preceded by symptoms including shallow respiration, clammy skin, dilated pupils, weak and rapid pulse, and coma.

Using depressants to get high is often accompanied by the ingestion of other substances including alcohol, additional prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and the use of illegal substances like marijuana. For example, when a depressant is taken with alcohol, it slows both the heart and breathing and may lead to death. Certain over the counter drugs that cause the central nervous system to go into depression will have the same affect as mixing depressants and alcohol.

Stimulants or uppers, are used to treat a variety of conditions such as asthma, respiratory problems, obesity, sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These drugs can produce euphoric effects and counteract sluggish feelings. Health risks related to stimulant abuse include increased heart and respiratory rates, excessive sweating, vomiting, tremors, anxiety, hostility and aggression, and in severe abuse suicidal/homicidal tendencies, convulsions and cardiovascular collapse.

Stimulants are consumed by teens to combat fatigue, increase alertness, boost energy, and intentionally get high. Sometimes teens are going beyond swallowing these pills; they are crushing them to smoke, sniff or inject.

Physical side effects include dilated pupils, decreased appetite, loss of coordination, collapse, increased heart and respiratory rates, elevated blood pressure, dizziness, tremors, headache, flushed skin, chest pain with palpitations, excessive sweating, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.

Psychological side effects include feelings of restlessness, anxiety, and delusions, hostility and aggression, panic, suicidal or homicidal tendencies and paranoia, often accompanied by auditory and visual hallucinations.

Withdrawal symptoms associated with discontinuing stimulant use may include depression, disturbance of sleep patterns, fatigue, and apathy.

Overdose or death is preceded by high fever, convulsions, and cardiovascular collapse. Given that death is partially attributed to the effects of stimulants on the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, physical exertion increases the hazards of stimulant use.

Non-medical stimulant use is often accompanied by the ingestion of other substances including alcohol, additional prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and the use of illegal substances like marijuana. Teens who drink alcohol while taking stimulants are likely to drink more before feeling the effects of alcohol, so when the stimulant wears off, the alcohol kicks in. When stimulants are mixed with over the counter decongestants it may cause blood pressure to become dangerously high or lead to irregular heart rhythms.

Pain Killers are drugs commonly prescribed for chronic pain management or pain relief and are only legally available by prescription. Most opioid or pain relieving drugs are non-refillable and, when used properly under a medical doctor’s supervision, are safe, effective, and non-addictive. Morphine derivatives (or “narcotics”) come from opioids and are used to therapeutically treat pain, suppress cough, alleviate diarrhea, and induce anesthesia. When using narcotics, abusers experience a general sense of well-being by reduced tension, anxiety, and aggression. Pain relievers like OxyContin and Vicodin are the most commonly abused painkillers by teens.

Health risks related to painkiller abuse include lack of energy, inability to concentrate, nausea and vomiting, and apathy. Significant doses of painkillers can cause respiratory depression.

There are several ways narcotics are ingested, including swallowing pills, applying skin patches, or by injection. They are also available in suppositories, and more recently in “troches,” a form of narcotics that can be sucked like candy. As drugs of abuse, they are often smoked, sniffed, or injected.

Physical signs of narcotic overdose include constricted (pinpoint) pupils, cold and clammy skin, confusion, convulsions, severe drowsiness, and respiratory depression (slow or troubled breathing).

Due to the physical dependence produced by chronic use of opioids, teens who are prescribed opioid medications need to be monitored not just during the drug’s administration, but also when they stop using the drug to reduce or avoid withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms of withdrawal can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, and involuntary leg movements.

Short-term Effects associated with narcotics include drowsiness, inability to concentrate, apathy, lack of energy, constriction of the pupils, flushing of the face and neck, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and most significantly, respiratory depression. As the dose is increased, the subjective, analgesic (pain relief), and toxic effect become more pronounced. Except in cases of acute intoxication, there is no loss of motor coordination or slurred speech, as occurs with many depressants.

Long-term Effects, because of the addictive properties of the drug are withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are no longer being taken. Associated with addiction is tolerance, which means more and more of the drug or a combination of drugs is needed to produce the same high or euphoric feeling, possibly leading to overdose.

Opioids should not be used with alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines. Since these substances slow breathing, their combined effects could lead to life-threatening respiratory depression.

Parents can prevent prescription drug abuse by setting clear expectations, communicating with their children early, and knowing the signs and symptoms of abuse. While it can be very tricky to monitor for this type of abuse, parents can do it and here’s how! Following is a list of some specific advice on how to protect your teens from this type of drug abuse.

Keep track of quantities. Take note of how many pills are in a bottle or pill packet and ask other households your teen visits to do the same, such as grandparents or other friends. Don’t forget about refills. If you find you have to refill medication for a chronic condition more often than recommended, there could be a real problem—as someone may be knowingly stealing your medication.

Talk to friends, relatives and school administration. Make sure your friends and relatives know about the risks, too, and encourage them to regularly monitor their own medicine cabinets. If you don’t know the parents of your child’s circle of friends, then make an effort to get to know them, and get on the same page about rules and expectations. Follow up with your teen’s school administration to find out what they are doing to address issues of Rx and over-the-counter (OTC) drug abuse on campus.

Follow directions carefully. Make sure you and your teen use Rx drugs only as prescribed by a medical doctor and take only the recommended dosages as indicated for both Rx and OTC drugs. If you are directed to finish the prescription, then do so as advised. If you have any questions about how to take a prescription drug, call your family physician or pharmacist.

Discard old or unused medications. Unused prescription drugs should be disposed of in the trash. It is best to add an undesirable substance (like used coffee grounds or kitty litter) and put the mixture in an impermeable, non-descript container like an empty can or bag. Unless the directions say otherwise, do NOT flush medications down the drain or toilet because the chemicals can taint the water supply. Also, remove any personal, identifiable information from prescription bottles or pill packages before you throw them away.

Monitor your teen’s time online. Teens today have access to the Internet through various channels, including computers, cell phones, and personal digital assistants (or PDAs). Check browser histories and set a time limit for how long your teen can be online.

Be observant. If you find your teen is quickly going through cough syrup, or you find empty bottles and pill packages among your child’s personal effects, talk with them, listen carefully, and determine if there is a problem. If there is a problem, call your family physician immediately.

Find other ways to relieve stress and have fun. Many teens point to personal and family stress, as well as boredom, as reasons they abuse Rx and OTC drugs. Help your teen find other ways to relieve pressures, for example through positive activities that interest your child, positive friendships, or by simply listening and offering guidance. Also, help your teen find constructive ways to pass time and set a good example yourself.

When taken properly and under a medical doctor’s supervision, prescription drugs can have tremendous benefits. Unfortunately, some teens take these drugs outside of what is prescribed by a medical doctor, and grow dependent on them. Talk to your teen about the dangers of abusing prescription and OTC drugs, and educate yourself on signs and symptoms of abuse. Check out what other parents have to say in the community area or get more tips on how to keep your teen safe.

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