Prescription Drug Abuse

By , June 2006

Prescription drug abuse has become an escalating problem among teens and young adults. Some teens perceive this type of substance abuse as being safer or more socially acceptable than other drugs, but for many it’s easier to acquire prescription drugs than street drugs. It’s important for parents to warn their teens that abusing any kind of drug, whether it’s a prescribed or street drug, can be deadly.

Many of the popularly abused drugs include painkillers OxyContin and Vicodin, and stimulants Ritalin or Adderall, which are prescribed for ADD or ADHD (Leinwand). Even though these drugs are prescribed by doctors, they are still very dangerous when taken inappropriately.

How Teens Have Access to Prescription Drugs

While most abusers get their pills from their own home, they can also order them online or buy them from a friend. The Internet makes it easy to purchase prescription drugs with very little hassle. These pills are usually sent from a foreign country and are delivered to the purchaser’s house.

Some dealers sell pills for around $2 to $10 each. These dealers may not realize that dealing prescription drugs is illegal. They get their supply from the Internet, by stealing it from home or from a pharmacy, or from someone with a legitimate prescription, usually themselves or their parents. They then sell the drugs to their friends.

If your teen needs help with this, or other problems, call Parent Help today at 1-800-688-8706 or request more information online now.

Why Prescription Abuse is Popular

Teens today believe that because prescription drugs are medicine, they are safer to use than street drugs. They may also seem more socially acceptable or of a higher class than street drugs. Prescription drugs are also easier to access because many are found in the home or purchased from friends.

Peer pressure plays a large role in motivating teens to start abusing drugs. They may start doing it to fit in or to make friends with a popular crowd. Or they may start abusing prescription drugs because they feel it’s a safe form of recreation. Teens need to be educated that abusing any drug is harmful, even prescription drugs.

Today’s teens are under a lot of stress from high school, college, or sports. Some teens may diagnose themselves with emotional or physical problems, and so they self-prescribe drugs to help them cope. Even if they have a legitimate reason, they still need a prescription from the doctor, otherwise the drug may conflict with another medication. Using medication without a doctor’s order can lead to a physical dependence on it, which encourages more severe abuse when the body’s tolerance level increases and the drug loses its efficacy. This abuse may result in death.

“Pharming” and “Pharm” Parties

“Pharming” involves gathering pills from the house medicine cabinet. At pharm parties, users bring medicine from home to share with others in order to get high. They swallow them in a variety of combinations, usually without regard for dosage amounts or side effects. Users often use pill combination “recipes” on the Internet. These recipes can be very dangerous because they may only refer to pills by color, rather than by name or dosage, and this can contribute to serious health problems or death.

Abusing Prescription Drugs Can Be Fatal

In 2001, there were 1,096 overdose deaths caused by oxycodone, the active ingredient in the popular painkiller OxyContin (“OxyContin”). Other prescription drugs are equally dangerous. One example was reported in USA Today. Twenty-two year old Eddie Cappiello died in February 2006 after a long struggle with a prescription drug addiction. Autopsy reports stated that he had an equivalent of 67 Xanax pills in his system (Leinwand).

While prescription drugs such as OxyContin are safe when taken as directed, if broken apart and snorted or dissolved and injected, they immediately become dangerous and addictive. Teens need to be educated that any prescription taken without medical consent can be deadly.

Prevention

Parents should set clear expectations about drug abuse and the dangers medications pose. The earlier parents speak to their teens, the more likely abuse can be prevented. They need to know how dangerous abusing drugs can be, and that it can result in physical dependence, addiction, health problems, or death. If teens are aware of the dangers, they are less likely to choose to start using drugs in the first place.

For parents worried about their teen, it’s important to be aware of the changes going on in their child’s life. Many times changes are subtle, but if parents spot a problem early on, they can get help before it’s too late. If you need help with your teenager please call Parent Help now or fill out our contact form for more information on how we can help your teen.

Sources

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