Information on Prescription Drug Abuse

Unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States increased by 145% from 1999 to 2007. The majority of these deaths—93 percent—were a result of drug poisoning, mostly commonly from opioid pain medications such as methadone, hydrocodone, or oxycodone.

Prescription medicines taken properly help heal illness, relieve pain, control disease and bring balance to your life. But when others take your medications, they can be very dangerous.

An alarming trend is emerging. Every day, more than 4,000 children and young adults begin experimenting with prescription drugs. These drugs range from pain relievers and depressants to stimulants and over-the-counter (OTC) medicine.

7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs

Some disturbing facts:

2.1 million teens abused prescription drugs in 2006.
3.1 million 12 to 25 year olds used OTC cough and cold medications at least once to get high.
Prescription drugs are the #1 choice among 12-13 year olds.
One-third of all new abusers of prescription drugs in 2006 were 12-17 year olds.
13 is the mean age of the non-prescribed use of sedatives and stimulants.
One in seven boys and one in five girls has shared or borrowed a prescription drug.
Nearly one in 10 high school seniors admit abusing pain relievers.
Girls age 12-17 are more likely than boys to misuse OTC medications, but the trend reverses with 18- to 25-year-olds.

Your nightstand. Their drug supplier.

What’s in your medicine cabinet? On your nightstand or the kitchen counter? In your purse? Naturally, you keep prescription medicines and cold and cough remedies handy for you to take when needed. But, they are also handy for teens to take without you knowing it.

Adolescents believe that since the medicines were prescribed by a doctor, they provide an inexpensive, legal and “medically safe high.” In the case of OTC remedies, most children have been given these medicines by their parents for common illnesses, such as fevers, colds and coughs. So, teens believe it is safe to take these drugs whenever they choose. The proliferation of pharmaceutical ads on television as well as the Internet and peer misinformation helps contribute to this attitude.

Source of Pain Relievers for Abusers

Ages 12 and older

More disturbing facts:

More teens have been offered prescription drugs than other illegal ones, except marijuana.
Four out of 10 teens believe prescription and OTC medicines are less addictive and dangerous than street drugs.
7.3 million young people believe there’s “nothing wrong” with using non-prescribed medicines periodically and that parents “don’t care as much if you get caught.”
More than one-third say they feel peer pressure to take prescription or OTC drugs.

We often ask: Why? Teens give many reasons for abusing prescription and OTC drugs, such as wanting to “fit in,” relieve depression and anxiety, help them cope with life’s stresses, sleep better or increase their alertness and concentration power so they can do better in school. Some want to control their weight with stimulants. Others want to self-medicate to relieve pain. They want to experiment. They want to be accepted by their peers. They want to escape reality or make their reality more bearable.

The abuse of OTC drugs by teens is largely with cough and cold medicines that contain dextromethorphan (DXM) to get high. Some young people are also abusing laxatives, diuretics and diet pills to control their weight. Some herbal or “natural” products can be just as dangerous as diet pills because they act like a stimulant on the nervous system.

The most commonly abused prescription drugs are:

1. Pain relievers (opioids). These powerful medications are used primarily to treat pain and can be found in some cough medicines:

Types:	Prescribed For:	Sample Brand Names:
Morphine	Severe Pain	adian, MS Contin, Oramorph SR
Oxycodone	Severe Pain	OxyContin, Roxicodone, Percodan, Percocet
Codeine	Coughs, mild pain	Tylenol with Codeine
		Robitussin with Codeine
Others	Pain	Darvon, Dilaudid, Demerol, Ultram
	Relieve diarrhea	Lomotil

Appeal: Can produce quick, intense feeling of pleasure followed by a sense of well being and a calm drowsiness

2. Depressants, also known as tranquilizers and sedatives:

Prescribed For:	Sample Brand Names:
Anxiety, tension, sleep disorders, severe stress reactions, panic attacks	Mebaral, Nembutal, Seconal, Soma, Phenobarbital, Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, Librium, Halcion, Ativan, Rozerem, Ambien, Lunesta

Appeal: Causes euphoria or relaxation and sleep

Drugs Most Frequently Used by 12 Graders

3. Stimulants, or uppers:

Prescribed For:	Sample Brand Names:
Respiratory problems, sleep disorders (narcolepsy), attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), short term treatment of obesity, depression	Adderall, Ritalin, Dexedrine, Focalin, Methylin, Concerta

Appeal: Increases alertness, attention and energy, feeling of extreme joy, gives them energy to stay awake, increases concentration, become more talkative, and lose weight

4. Over-the-counter drug abuse with dextromethorphan (DXM), which is called “robo-tripping” by teens:

Used to Treat:	Sample Brand Names:
Cough, colds, sinus pressure (with DXM)	Alka-Seltzer, Contac, Coricidin, NyQuil, Robitussin, Sudafed, TheraFlu, Vicks, Nytol, Benadryl, Unisom, Tylenol PM
Sleep Problems Weight control: Laxatives, diuretics Diet Pills, with ingredients, such as Ephedrine, caffeine, laxatives	Ex-lax, Dulcolax, MiraLax Alli, Apidexin, Phenphedrine, Liporexall, DecaSlim, Colovox

Appeal: Creates a high, relieves pain, reduces anxiety, suppresses appetite, helps them sleep or lose weight, and gives them an edge in sports or school

If you suspect a friend or family member is using drugs, do not wait to act. Contact Community Solutions Association (330) 394-9090 or Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic (330) 609-5441 for help.

Your words. Today’s slang.

Every generation has their own slang, but the lingo today’s teenagers use could mean something dangerous if they are abusing prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. For example, you go “fishing” for salmon or walleye, they go “phishing” for pharmaceuticals. Words that sound innocent to your ears may have another meaning on the street.

Click here and see if you can guess the drug culture’s definition of these common words or expressions: Close the Communication Gap

Your lifesaver. Their lifetaker.

When your doctor prescribes medicine for you, the effects are closely monitored. But when others abuse medicines that are prescribed for someone else, no one is monitoring their dosage or frequency of use. They can become addicted, poisoned or even die from an overdose.

All too often, prescription or OTC drugs are combined with other substances, like alcohol or marijuana, which can lead to dangerous consequences. And, sometimes teens attend “pharm or rainbow parties” where various prescription medications are dumped into a bowl and randomly ingested.

Why should you be concerned?

20,950 people died from an overdose of prescription drugs between 1999 and 2004. The 62% increase is more than cocaine and heroin combined.
Emergency room visits involving abuse of prescription or OTC drugs increased 21% from 2004 to 2005 and nearly half of the patients under the age of 20 had abused DXM (dextromethorphan).
Teen admissions to treatment facilities for addiction to prescription pain relievers increased by 300% since the mid-1990s.
29% of teens in treatment were dependent on tranquilizers, sedatives, amphetamines and other stimulants. (2004)

Watch for these signs and symptoms

Drug:	Short-Term Effects of Abuse:	Long-Term Effects of Abuse:
Pain relievers (opioids)	Physical side effects: relief from pain, lack of energy, drowsiness, constriction of the pupils, flushing of the face and neck, nausea, constipation, vomiting, slowed breathing, nightmares Psychological side effects: anxiety, impaired judgment, inability to concentrate and learn, apathy, agitation, depression	Addiction, physical dependence, paranoia, hallucinations, dementia Severe withdrawal symptoms when teen stops taking the drug, including deep depression and suicidal thoughts Need to take more of the drug or a combination of drugs to produce the same high, possibly leading to overdose Higher risk of graduating to heroin
Depressants	Physical side effects: loss of coordination, dilated pupils, slurred speech, relaxed muscles, shallow breathing, sluggishness, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, fever, hyperactivity, visual hallucinations Psychological side effects: poor concentration, feelings of confusion, disorientation, impaired judgment and memory, lowered inhibitions, rage, hostility, depression, amnesia, paranoia	Addiction, dependence Severe withdrawal symptoms Need to take larger doses to achieve the same effects Shallow breathing, clammy skin, weak and rapid pulse, seizures, overdose, coma
Stimulants	Physical side effects: decreased appetite, loss of coordination, collapse, increased heart and respiratory rates, elevated blood pressure, dizziness, tremors, headache, flushed skin, chest pain, excessive sweating, vomiting, abdominal cramps Psychological side effects: restlessness, delusions, hostility, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, agitation, nightmares	Addiction, high fever, convulsions, heart failure, overdose Paranoia, aggressiveness, extreme anorexia, thinking problems, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, panic, suicidal tendencies, severe dental problems
Over-the-Counter Drugs	Physical side effects: nausea, headache, blurred vision, dizziness, vomiting, loss of consciousness, numbness of fingers and toes, loss of coordination, abdominal pain, irregular heartbeat, aches, seizures Psychological side effects: impaired judgment, restlessness, euphoria, cold flashes, dizziness, diarrhea	Addiction, insomnia, panic attacks, psychosis, high-blood pressure, damage to nerves, muscles and tissues in large intestine, coma

If you suspect your friend or family member has overdosed on any of these drugs, seek medical help immediately.

Solutions. Their protection.

Quite frequently one merely opens the medicine cabinet and there before them is a variety of drugs available for the taking: pain pills for post surgery; sleeping pills from an overseas airplane trip; cough medicine from last season’s flu. The time to act is now. You are the key to your loved one’s drug-free future.

Take the following preventative steps:

Remove drugs from your medicine cabinet and hide them, lock them up or take them out of your house.
Safeguard all medicines that have to remain at home by monitoring quantities and controlling access.
Take inventory by writing down the names and amounts of medications you currently have and regularly check to see if anything is missing. Click here for an easy to use medicine inventory sheet: Home Medicine Inventory Card
If your child is on prescribed medication, monitor the dosages and refills. Set clear rules, such as not sharing and always following proper dosages.
Warn your youngsters that taking prescription or OTC drugs without a doctor’s supervision can be just as dangerous and potentially lethal as taking street drugs.
Supervise your child’s Internet use: many pharmacy sites are not regulated and will sell your child medications without prescriptions.
Properly dispose of old, expired or unused medicines. Call your local Sheriff or police department for local “take-back” collection information. DO NOT flush medications down the drain or toilet, unless the label indicates it is safe to do so.