Talk to Your Teen about the Dangers of Prescription Drugs
While street drug use among teens is on the decline, they’re still getting high with prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. Prescription drugs teens are taking include opioids or painkillers, stimulants such as ADHD medications, and depressants. As parents, you are the first, and best, defense against this growing problem.
Troubling Statistics
With every passing day, another 2,500 young people from the age of 12 to 17 take painkillers for the first time. This initial use can develop into routine behavior.
Teens abuse prescription drugs more than any other illegal (street) drug except marijuana.
As reported on The Anti-Drug website, in 2006, more than 2.1 million teens aged 12 to 17 reported that they had abused prescription drugs. And among teens aged 12 and 13, prescription drugs were their drug of choice.
The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), in its National Drug Threat Assessment 2009 report says that prescription drug distribution by gangs has increased since 2004.
The 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) from The Partnership for a Drug Free America reveals that only 24 percent of teens report their parents talked with them about the dangers of prescription drug abuse or the problem of using prescription drugs without a doctor’s supervision.
According to the 2008 PATS study, 1 in 5 teens (19 percent or 4.7 million) report abusing prescription drugs at least once in their lifetime, while 1 in 10 (10 percent or 2.5 million) reported abusing prescription painkillers in the past year. Other troubling study statistics show that 41 percent of teens mistakenly believe that prescription drugs are “less dangerous” than illegal street drugs, and 61 percent (up from 56 percent in 2005) say they’re easier to get than illegal drugs.
Easy Availability
Teens mistakenly believe these prescription drugs are safe because they’re handy – right at home in the bathroom medicine cabinet, on the kitchen counter, or bedside table.
Parents who talk to their teens about the dangers of prescription drugs can make a difference. The Monitoring the Future Study reports that disapproval by parents and parental discussions about prescription drug dangers are powerful deterrents.
Dangers of Prescription Drugs
Health effects from prescription drugs range from mild to life threatening. A single large dose of a painkiller can cause respiratory difficulties that can lead to death. Teens that use stimulants to get high can become hostile, paranoid, and even have a fatal seizure or heart attack. Motor skills, judgment, and learning ability are also affected by low doses of depressants and painkillers.
Dangers by drug category include the following:
• Opioids or painkillers – the kind doctors routinely prescribe to patients following surgery. Examples include Vicodin and OxyContin, which are Schedule III and Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act, respectively. These drugs produce feelings of pleasure and euphoria and are highly addictive. When crushed or mixed with other drugs and/or alcohol, they can lead to overdose and death.
• Stimulants – drugs that are prescribed to treat medical conditions like attention deficit disorder or ADHD. Examples of depressants include Adderall and Ritalin. Teens take these prescription drugs to help them “study better” or lose weight. These drugs can be addictive and cause intense feelings of paranoia or fear, as well as leading to serious health problems.
• Depressants – sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medicine, such as Xanax and Valium, Schedule IV drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, reduce tension and anxiety and produce a feeling of calm. They are addictive and deadly, again, in combination with other drugs and alcohol.
Talk with Your Teens
Steve Passierb, president and CEO of The Partnership for a Drug Free America, says that “too many parents are missing opportunities” to talk with their kids about intentional abuse of prescription drugs, which is “the most pressing – and least understood – threat to our kids.” The 2008 PATS study shows that 37 percent of teens reported learning a lot from their parents about drug risks, up 16 percent from the previous year. Other research consistently shows that teens who have parental discussions at home about the risks of drugs are up to 50 percent less likely to use them.
Discussion with your teens about the dangers of prescription drugs should stress the fact that no medicine should be taken without a doctor’s prescription – and then, only taken exactly as directed and only by the person for whom the medication is prescribed. Inform your teen that just because these drugs are available at the pharmacy, they’re not “safe” or “safer” than street drugs. All drugs are powerful and can do great damage.
Understanding why teens take prescription drugs is important to helping combat the problem. Teens, in their maturation process, enjoy taking risks, experimenting, going out of bounds and rebelling in small ways. It’s part of growing up. But teens are also impressionable, vulnerable, and experience hormonal changes during this time. Experimenting with prescription drugs may stem from troubles and stress at home, parents arguing, divorce, loss of a job by either or both parents, financial problems in the family, problems in school, with relationships, trying to strike a balance between school and extracurricular activities, trying to fit in with the crowd, and attempts to change physical appearance.
Discuss parental expectations, rules, and consequences for any use of drugs, including prescription drugs. Let them know you are prepared to enforce them – no exceptions.
Take Additional Precautions
Helping to safeguard your teens against prescription drug use begins at home. Take an inventory of all the medications anyone in the family has been prescribed. This means making a list of all the different types, what the dosage is, who takes them, and for what purpose.
Next, lock up all medications or at least stash them in a place where your teen doesn’t have ready access. This inventory and relocation of prescription drugs should also include your near relatives’ homes as well, anywhere your teen may have access to prescription drugs (stealing a few pills from Grandpa or Auntie is not uncommon). And teens often believe (correctly, in many instances) that because someone is older, they’ won’t notice any missing pills – especially painkillers.
It’s also a good idea to talk with the parents of your teen’s friends so that you can coordinate a united stance against ready access to prescription drugs in those home locations as well.
Know the signs of prescription drug abuse so you can be ready to combat the problem head-on when and if it does occur. Teens who are taking prescription drugs often exhibit slurred speech, dilated pupils, sweating, nausea, vomiting, numb extremities, drowsiness and dizziness.
You may have seen the TV public service announcement that shows parents monitoring their teen’s Internet history. The spot is effective and shows a very important step you should take to help safeguard your teen. The Internet makes availability of prescription drugs without a prescription an easy and virtually consequence-free transaction. Monitor which websites your teen visits and especially track any unusual credit card purchases – on your own credit cards (if they have access to them or know the numbers) and their own (if you have provided them with one).
Finally, it’s critical that parents set a good example. If your teens see that you take medications responsibly and don’t abuse them yourselves, they’re more likely to adopt the family values and example. Never take prescription drugs in combination with alcohol. Never take more than the required dose. Act the way you want them to act: with responsible, thoughtful and measured judgment.
Talk with your teens about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. It’s one of the most important discussions (along with those about sex) that you can have – and help positively shape the direction of their lives.
Learn more about teen drug abuse
Tags: Prescription Drug Addiction, teens
