Prescription drugs are the problem that has been identified in the study. The drugs are being used for medical and non-medical reasons and then are not being properly disposed of.

What is happening is that the teen or their parent receives a prescription for a medication. They take the pills for a certain amount of time, then leave them in the medicine cabinet which is easy for anyone to get access to.

The teen starts taking the pills and often they develop an addiction. Had the pills been properly disposed of, then perhaps it would not have been an option for the teen to take the drugs or at least would have made them more difficult to obtain.

Another concern about prescription drug use is that it seems to be the gateway drug to heroin use. Research has shown that if a person abuses prescription medication then they are more inclined to try heroin.

Keeping prescription drugs under lock and key and away from anyone who does not have a prescription for their use could end up protecting a lot of people in the process. Getting rid of the drug after completing the needed dose would be a better step.

Another option to keep drugs out of the hands of potential abusers would be for physicians to cut down the dosage allowance for patients and only write prescriptions for the amount of medication that is absolutely necessary.

A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns parents and physicians of a new epidemic threatening the lives of some children. According to the report published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the number of children who died from accidental poisoning has risen dramatically over the last 10 years. They stress that the rise in this number is due to the number of deaths from prescription painkiller overdose.

Obtaining Prescription Drugs

It is easier than one would think for a 15-year-old to get possession of drugs that could pull them into addiction or even cause them to die of an accidental overdose. Dr. Julie Gilchrist, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, says that teens are most likely obtaining these prescriptions from the medicine cabinets in their homes and buying them on the street.

While prescription painkillers are largely used by older adults, some adolescents are also on these pain medications. Sports, injuries, and other ailments may introduce adolescents to their first long-term prescription drugs. But just as some older adults may accidentally take too many pills or a higher than recommended dosage, these young adults may fall victim to the same.

Young people often feel more invincible and may not realize how powerfully prescription drugs can affect their bodies. When the medicine cabinet is just down the hall from their bedroom, it is easy and tempting to just grab a few more pills on the way to the kitchen.

Accidental Deaths Are Preventable

The CDC reports that the leading cause of mortality in children is from accidental injuries. Even though motor vehicle accidents rank first as the leading accidental injury, the numbers of these deaths are decreasing. From 2000 to 2009, there was a 41 percent decrease in the number of children who died in automobile accidents.

During that same period, accidental poisoning deaths (which includes all prescription drug overdoses) among teens aged 15 through 19 years rose by 91 percent.

Prevention was key in reducing the automobile accident mortality rate. Stricter seat belt laws, frequent community car seat inspections, more restrictions for teenage drivers, and other factors helped educate parents and helped save lives.

The CDC believes that prevention can also help reduce the numbers of children who die from accidental prescription drug overdose.

A Plan for Action

The CDC outlined their plan for prevention of prescription drug overdose in their National Action Plan for Child Injury Prevention. Sixty other groups, including children’s hospitals and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers, collaborated in designing the plan.

Dr. Gilchrist does not believe that adults should passively take the attitude that "accidents happen." Gilchrist knows that accidents can be prevented. With attention to and good communication with children, more accidental deaths from poisoning can be prevented.

The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and the Osceola, FL County Sheriff’s Office will also participate in this years’ program. This is a one day only event and will bring national attention to the problem of pharmaceutical controlled substance abuse issues. The initiative brings to light a critical public health and public safety issue in our country.

In America, over seven million people abuse prescription medications currently according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National survey.

The 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that more Americans abuse pharmaceutical drugs than the combined total of cocaine, heroin and hallucinogens combined, according to a recent article. The DEA has established the program to prevent outdated medicines from falling into the wrong hands or to keep from polluting our water supplies by being disposed of in an unhealthy way.

The initiative gives citizens the opportunity to safely turn in their expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs to law enforcement for proper disposal. The program is anonymous and there is no charge to participate in it.

Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansell says by turning in your expired or unused prescription or non-prescription medicines this prevents any mistaken use or dangerous availability to children and individuals who may find them. Hansell notes it is also the safest way to dispose of them for our environment.

You can find nearby collection sites by logging on to www.dea.gov website and putting in your zip code. Last year, the Osceola Sheriff took in 234 pounds of drugs in the DEA sponsored program.

“It is tragic to see this epidemic beginning in our young people,” said Dr. Julie Gilchrist, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, noting that prescription painkiller and opiate abuse is now widespread among older teens.

“There seems to be a trend for prescription painkillers almost to replace marijuana as a gateway drug for substance abuse such as heroin,” she said. Many teens are experimenting first with painkillers taken from their family and friends medicine cabinets, rather than street drugs like marijuana.

CDC researchers concluded that proper prescribing, storage and disposal of prescription drugs, discouraging people to stop sharing their medications, and state-based prescription drug monitoring programs could reduce teen accidental poisoning deaths.

The CDC report found that about 50% of the most recent poisoning deaths were among teens ages 15 to 19 who overdosed on prescription drugs, with most of these deaths were due to abuse of opioid painkillers like Demerol, Percocet, and Vicodin.

This latest CDC report, like others before it, found that the number of people killed in automobile accidents continues to drop. In fact, the number of people dead by drug overdoses is now greater than those who die in car crashes.

Every year over 120,000 Americans seek emergency medical treatment because of overdoses to prescription drugs. In 2008, for example, the most recent year for which there are statistics, there were 20,044 overdose deaths from prescription drugs with 14,800 of them due to narcotic painkillers, more than heroin and cocaine combined. The CDC researchers said that prescription drug epidemic involves people from all walks of life and socioeconomic classes. Americans of all ages, genders, races, and national origins are abusing these drugs, which makes this epidemic different from those of the past.

If your grandkids spend time at your home, take the following steps to avoid becoming an accidental drug dealer:

Get Educated – Before talking to your grandchildren about drugs, make sure you’re up on the latest trends. Gone are the days when the only drugs you really needed to worry about were marijuana and alcohol. While use of “street” drugs is declining among teens, children are experimenting with prescription and over-the-counter drugs at alarming rates. These medications are equally dangerous and addictive. Even household products, such as nail polish remover, spray paint, glue, air fresheners and other inhalants, can be addictive and even lethal.

According to the 2010 Monitoring the Future survey, prescription and over-the-counter drugs are among the most commonly abused drugs by 12th graders. Even good kids use drugs. Roughly one in five teens has abused a prescription pain medication, such as Oxycontin, and one in 10 has abused a prescription stimulant, such as Adderall, reports The Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Store Medications Properly – Most teens report getting prescription drugs from medicine cabinets at home (or their grandparents’ or friends’ homes). All medications, including over-the-counter drugs, should be stored up high and out of the reach of children. Any medication that has potential for abuse (when in doubt, assume it does) should be locked in the medicine cabinet or a lockbox. Any unwanted medications should be disposed of properly, not by throwing them in the garbage.

Talk to Your Grandkids – Recent studies show that teens begin experimenting with drugs around age 14, on average. Experts recommend starting conversations about drugs by the end of elementary school. And it’s not just the job of parents. Since grandparents are one level removed from parents, teens may be more willing to listen to their wisdom and guidance. Even if the teen is resistant, it can help to hear the same expectations and concerns echoed from multiple adults in their lives.

Sometimes the easiest way to start a conversation is when the topic arises at school, in a television show or on the news. Ask your grandkids what they think or if they know anyone who is using drugs, and share your perspective without lecturing. Offer the facts about drug use and convey a strong message that drug use is unacceptable in your family. These conversations should become a regular part of your lives, not a one-time task to check off the to-do list.

Stay Involved – You’re in the best position to protect your grandchildren if you are actively involved in their lives. Ask them about their interests, their schoolwork and their friends. Keep an eye out for signs that they’re struggling. While you don’t want to be the meddling or overbearing grandparent, being a regular part of their life will ensure a trusting relationship and open lines of communication.

Get Help – If you suspect that your grandchild may be using drugs or alcohol and talking isn’t getting you anywhere, reach out for help. Therapists who specialize in adolescent issues, teen addiction treatment programs, and Alateen and other 12-Step groups are all excellent resources. A drug problem that begins in adolescence is far more likely to turn into a difficult-to-treat addiction later in life.

No matter how close you are with your grandkids, you’re never “just a grandparent.” Your opinions matter and could be just what your grandchild needs to hear at just the right time.

Prescription Drugs

The home medicine cabinet is rapidly becoming one of the best places for teens to shop for a high. From painkillers to mood enhancers, teens are relying more and more on their parents, or even their own prescriptions to get high. A new trend, “pharming parties” has created an even greater need for these types of medications. The entry fee for pharming parties is simply some type of prescription medication. Once they are gathered, the bottles are opened and dumped providing all party guests quick and easy access to whatever prescription medication they would like to try. Other types of pharming parties provide an outlet for kids to simply trade their prescription medications. The best advice for parents concerned about their teen and prescription medications is to ensure you know the drugs in your house. Know what types have been prescribed, where they are, and how many are in the bottles at all times.

Drinking Games and Binge Drinking

Teens know it is illegal for them to consume alcohol. Unfortunately, it is easily accessible and many of them believe the occasional consumption of alcohol is less dangerous than sampling drugs. And many of these children have been fooled by their friends, peers, and social media, to think that binge drinking is not only okay if it is occasional, but that it is normal and expected. The sole purpose of binge drinking is to get drunk; there are no other goals and one of the easiest ways teens get involved in binge drinking is through drinking games. These games are social and for the teen who is struggling to find his or her place in the scheme of the school social setting, they ease the tension and offer an immediate “in”. Teaching your teens they need to avoid alcohol is important; however, other conversations need to regularly take place. Teens need to understand the necessity of drinking responsibly and the dangers that large amounts of alcohol can have on their systems.

Huffing

Although it is not a new concept, the use of inhalants to get high is still extremely prevalent among teens today. Like many others, huffing is a simple concept. It is simply the intentional breathing in of vapors or chemicals to achieve a high of some kind, usually by pouring the chemical on a rag and holding it to the mouth or nose, or spraying a chemical in a confined space before inhaling. Many teens do not realize that huffing, just like other types of drug abuse, is addictive and dangerous. Unfortunately for many parents, these vapors can be found in numerous and common household items. Early education is the best prevention most parents have to help their children combat any sort of introduction into huffing.

The Choking Game

Finding those few moments of a euphoric high without any trace of drugs or alcohol can be exciting for teens and many of them have found it with a new activity that can become just as addictive as swallowing pills, smoking, or injecting drugs. The Choking Game, otherwise known as The Fainting Game, Pass Out, or Space Monkey, does just that. On average, this game is introduced as early as the age of 14. It is cheap and extremely easy to play, which makes it an up and coming favorite among teens today. The premise of the game is as simple as the name suggests and it can be played alone or with other people. The player ties a rope, necktie, or other devices, around the neck, or even a simple plastic bag over the head, and tightens it until the player loses consciousness. Although the rush is short, teens seek it out again and again without ever realizing this game can become as addictive and deadly as any other form of drugs. But similarly, and fortunately for parents, there are cautionary indications that can be seen. Frequent headaches, unusual marks or bruises around the neck area or bloodshot eyes are common warning signs.

Although it may be impossible to know every term, game, or new invention your teen may be exposed to, it is not impossible to know your child. Spend time together. Know their friends. Listen when they talk. When you know your teen, it is easier to observe any changes in behavior they may be exhibiting. It is also good to have conversations with each other so you know what is going on in their life and they know they can come to you with anything. This truly is the best tool you have to help your teen wade through the difficulties on these years.

Two painkillers, both chemical cousins of heroin, are fueling the epidemic. Oxycodone use has increased 16 times over between 2000 and 2010. This drug is the main ingredient in brand-name products like OxyContin, Percocet, and Percodan. The other most frequently abused painkiller is hydrocodone, found in trademarked drugs like Vicodin, Lortab, and Norco. Sixty-nine tons of pure oxycodone and 42 tons of pure hydrocodone were used in 2010 in the USA, amounting to 40 Percocets and 24 Vicodin for every person in the country. These drugs were only introduced about 15 years ago, and yet their sales amounted to $8.5 billion in 2011.

About seven million Americans are abusing painkillers for non-medical reasons, compared to the 1.5 million who abuse cocaine. The number of deaths due to these drugs in 2008, the last year for such statistics, was 14,800, more than the deaths from heroin and cocaine combined.

Hundreds of thousands of patients are taking painkillers at potentially dangerous levels, sometimes for years at a time. The reason for the increased number of prescriptions is an aging American population and a loosening of the medical standards for the management of pain.

Dr. Jane Ballantyne, who was in charge of pain management at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for more than ten years, said the situation is out of hand.

“We started on this whole thing because we were on a mission to help people in pain,” she said, “but the long-term outcomes for many of these patients are appalling, and it is ending up destroying their lives. … If doctors understood how hard it is to get patients off these drugs, they would not prescribe them to begin with.”

Another problem with prescription painkillers besides addiction is that as patients increase their tolerance for such drugs, they can take them at higher levels. This in turn creates quality-of-life problems, because patients often become less alert and less able to handle everyday life.

Dr. Ballantyne and certain other medical experts are advocating a return to non-drug management of pain by using therapies like counseling, biofeedback, and physical therapy. A recent study from Denmark found that patients in chronic pain recover four times faster using such methods instead of prescription drugs.

The American Pain Foundation, an advocacy organization for patients in chronic pain, has said that laws that reduce doctors’ ability to prescribe them and other measures to limit their use can be “inhumane.”

There is no doubt, however, that millions of people are taking these drugs for reasons that have nothing to do with pain. While the majority can get them from friends and family, some obtain their supply from “pain clinics” operated by unethical doctors, where people can easily get prescriptions for the drugs and then can buy them at adjoining pharmacies.

Recently DEA agents investigated six Walgreen drugstores in South and Central Florida and searched the company’s local headquarters in Jupiter, after reports that Walgreen was allowing high sales of prescription painkillers and that a high percentage of patients were paying in cash. Paying in cash instead of using insurance for drugs and doctors’ appointments can be a red flag for drug abuse. The DEA is looking into retail and distribution facilities within Walgreen.

A spokesperson for Walgreen, Robert Elfinger, said the company is “working with an operating with the DEA on this matter.”

Meanwhile, a DEA investigation of two CVS drug stores in Florida resulted in a ban of sales or distribution of controlled substances from the stores and from their distribution center.

Federal agents are increasingly demanding cooperation with such investigations, whether they take place in tiny family-owned stores or multinational companies. They are demanding access to information about who is obtaining what controlled substances, and in what amounts.

“Prescription medications can provide enormous health and quality-of-life benefits to patients,” Gil Kerlikowske, U.S. drug czar, testified to Congress in March 2012. “However, we now all recognize that these drugs can be just as dangerous and deadly as illicit substances when misused or abused.”

Well, there’s another event coming up the end of this month, the 4th National Take-Back Day scheduled for Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. So now is the time to gather up all those bottles and containers of leftover drugs you forgot you even had, or scour the medicine cabinet, glove compartment, your purse and desk drawers for prescriptions you no longer want or need.

Leftover Drugs Remain a Big Problem

It isn’t just that these prescriptions sit around unused in our homes, offices and cars. The fact is that their very presence constitutes a real danger and risk to us and our children, other relatives, friends, and even pets.

According to the 2010 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. The majority of these were nonmedical users of psychotherapeutic drugs, including 5.1 million users of pain relievers, 2.2 million users of tranquilizers, 1.1 million users of stimulants, and 374,000 users of sedatives.

That’s a whole lot of abuse of OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, Valium, Ritalin and other prescription drugs.

Every day, approximately 2,500 teenagers use prescription drug to get high for the first time, says the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Numerous studies show that the vast majority of these abused prescription drugs are easily obtained from family and friends. They’re accessible day and night in locations around the home, including nightstands, the kitchen counter, and the bathroom medicine cabinet.

Results of Previous Take-Back Day Events

The last National Take-Back Day event held October 29, 2011, netted a whopping 188.5 tons (more than 377,086 pounds) of expired, unused and unwanted medications. These were turned into 5,327 take-back sites in all 50 states where they were subsequently safely and properly disposed of.

Looking back at the last three events combined over the past 13 months, the cumulative total of drugs removed from circulation totaled 498.5 tons (995,185 pounds).

Gather Up Unused, Expired, and Unwanted Prescription Drugs Now

Don’t wait until the last minute to get started. Go through your medicine cabinet and other locations today where you store all your prescription medications. Check for those that have expired dates on them, as well as medications you haven’t taken and have been accumulating around the house.

By all means, secure these medications where children and pets are unable to get at them. You certainly don’t want an accidental overdose to occur before you have the opportunity to safely dispose of them. Remember, flushing them down the toilet or tossing them in the garbage container are not safe ways to get rid of prescription drugs. The toxins get into the water supply and soil and create problems further down the line.

Remember: Saturday, April 28, 2012 is right around the corner. Mark your calendar and get ready to drive to the most conveniently located take-back site on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. This is a good thing to do, and you can rest more comfortably knowing that you’ve safely disposed of unwanted and unused drugs that have been sitting around your house.

This is also an excellent time to encourage your friends, neighbors and other family members to do the same.

Check to find a collection site near you by visiting the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control website. All you need to do is enter your zip code or city, county and state and select search radius of 10, 20, 50 or 100+ miles and click “submit.” New sites are being added daily, so check back often if you don’t find a collection area near you right away.

A recent article highlights the ways Adderall is being abused on campuses nationwide and the side effects the prescription medication is linked to. The problem seems worse for students who are enrolled in their college or university full-time, as compared to part-time, suggest researchers.

Adderall is approved by the FDA for ADHD and narcolepsy. It is a central nervous system stimulant and the effects for can be serious. Some symptoms include diminished appetite and anorexia, weakness, dizzy spells, pain in the abdomen, increased blood pressure, insomnia and episodes of elevated heartbeat.

Experts have compared its effects to those of cocaine, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders suggests that medications like Adderall can be linked to similar symptoms of panic disorder and related phobic disorders. Long-term use of medications like Adderall may be addictive, and can be linked to sexual dysfunction and other problems.

Some students have reported being offered large amounts of cash for illegal distribution of their Adderall prescription, with students begging for a few pills to get through a tough coursework project. Other students are acquiring the prescription with intent to sell to students.

For those who have a legal and medically-based prescription, the pressure can be intense from friends and peers to share their pills. Reports have circulated of students making more than $1000 a week during intense periods of coursework for selling Adderall.

Also nicknamed the study drug, Adderall is leading some university officials to question whether or not drug testing should be part of the process for exams, and if students may use excuses like being out of Adderall if they fail to complete an assignment or perform successfully.

The bottom line after years of research is that sufficient sleep is crucial and disturbed sleep in early years is predictive of problems with addictive behaviors in later life.

The study entitled “Childhood Sleep Problems, Response Inhibition, and Alcohol and Drug Outcomes in Adolescence and Young Adulthood” was headed up by Maria M. Wong of Idaho State University where she serves as an associate professor of psychology. The study followed 386 teenagers of whom 292 were boys and 94 were girls. The researchers gathered their data on children’s sleeping patterns at regular intervals: ages 3-5 years, 6-8 years, 9-11 years, 12-14 years, 15-17 years and 18-20 years. Information about sleeping was compared to reported instances of risk-taking behaviors particularly substance abuse among older teens. By the study’s end a clear link between early sleep problems and later substance abuse was evident.

Surprisingly, as many as one tenth of the parents of all three to five year olds say that their youngster has trouble sleeping. Research indicates that sleep disturbances in early childhood (3-5 year olds) set a pattern for interrupted sleep during the teen years (11-17 year olds) which further predisposes young people (18-21 year olds) to problems with drug use. It seems that being overly tired as a preschooler can negatively impact the child’s ability to control impulse behaviors later on. This same lack of sufficient rest in the early years also predicts problems with cigarette smoking (in boys), alcohol use (particularly in girls), driving while intoxicated, and alcohol binging.

Though the negative long-term impact of disturbed sleep in the early years of life seem clear, those involved with the study cannot definitively say why it is so. The connections between sleeplessness and future risk-taking behaviors is increasingly important however as studies are showing that more and more young people (ages 12-25 years) are having trouble sleeping. Studies show that more than 50 percent of 6th through 12th graders say they feel sleepy and tired and more than 30 percent of them say they have trouble sleeping at night. The substance abuse issues are added to a list of other consequences which are more expected when a person is not getting enough rest. Tired teens (and adults for that matter) have problems with moodiness, poor school work, greater risk for automobile accidents along with the increased risk of drug and alcohol use.

Proper sleep is an important part of healthy development and healthy living. Improper sleep impacts learning, socialization and even the risk of dangerous behaviors in later life. Uncertainty remains about the specifics of how these connections actually relate, but for the present, it remains a good idea to be sure that your child gets plenty of rest.