Not in My Household

For some parents, drug problems happen to other peoples’ children; especially if the drugs are being used in the home. In the study, only 19 percent of parents had concerns of narcotic pain medicine misuse in their own families. However, 35 percent of these parents were concerned about narcotic pain medicine misuse in the larger arena of their community, yet these pain medicines are lurking in the home and are often easily accessible to children.

Parents admitted that pain prescriptions are in their home medicine cabinets, yet most parents did not see a great danger in it. When asked about narcotic pain medicine use in their home over the last five years, the parents offered these statistics:

• 66 percent of parents had taken at least one pain prescription home
• 35 percent of their children had taken at least one pain medicine prescription
• More than 50 percent of the children’s prescriptions were narcotic pain medicine

Whether it was an adult’s or child’s pain medicine, narcotics were found to be accessible from the home medicine cabinet in more than 50 percent of the households.

Someone Else’s Child

While poll numbers revealed that more parents are unconcerned that their child may be abusing narcotic pain medicine, it also revealed that those who were the least concerned had the children who were the most likely to use the drugs. According to studies, white teens are three times more likely to use narcotic pain medicines than black or Hispanic teens. However, only 13 percent of white parents were concerned that their teens were misusing narcotic pain medicines. They were also not concerned about setting policies to restrict pain medicines like Vicodin or OxyContin compared to the 38 percent of black parents and 26 percent of Hispanic parents.

Less Support For Prevention

With less understanding by parents of the potential and actual abuse of narcotic pain prescriptions, researchers see less support for pain prescription drug abuse prevention.

Researchers found some positives, though, among the negatives:

• 66 percent of parents believed that identification should be required when picking up their children’s pain prescription
• 57 percent of parents would support policies that would keep patients from getting narcotic pain medicines from multiple doctors

Policies that would be inconvenient for parents tended to receive the least support. Half of the parents surveyed would not support a policy that requires them to return unused narcotic pain prescriptions to the pharmacy or their doctor. More than half would also not want to have a doctor appointment in order to get a refill on narcotic pain prescriptions.

A study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence gives a snapshot of the impact of the abuse in an urban area. Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that, in a 16 year period, prescription opioid drug overdoses increased seven-fold in New York City.

Researchers speculate that the reason for the immense increase may have been due to easy accessibility and the misconception that prescription drugs are safe to use.

Rise in Analgesic Overdoses

The urban study revealed that deaths from prescription analgesics, like the painkiller OxyContin (Oxycodone), had risen sharply between 1990 and 2006 compared to deaths associated with methadone, a prescription opioid used to treat heroin addiction.

Heroin overdoses used to be one of the greatest concerns for drug overdose, yet this study found that prescription painkillers had become the new danger of which to be aware. Deaths by painkiller overdoses were seven times higher in 2006 than they were in 1990. Heroin overdoses actually declined. The number of methadone overdoses did not dramatically fluctuate.

The Face of Drug Abuse

The face of a stereotypical “drug abuser” has changed as prescription drug abuse becomes more common. In the urban center of New York City, researchers revealed the most recent faces of those most commonly found to abuse drugs in the 1990 to 2006 study:

• White males: Three times as many white males died from prescription opioids than black males and two times as many had fatal overdoses as Latinos. In the 16-year study, white deaths increased nine-fold. Black deaths decreased by 2 percent.
• Higher income families

Why the Increase in Fatalities?

As researchers studied the data, they speculated as to why there was a dramatic rise in deaths of white males from drug overdoses. Magdalena Cerdá, DrPH, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, speculated that the white group and higher income families may have had more access to healthcare which allowed them more access to prescription drugs. She did add, though, that those who become addicted often get their first drugs illicitly.

There is a false sense of safety that many Americans have about the use of prescription drugs. Some people believe that prescription opioids are safer than taking other drugs. They believe that if a doctor prescribes it, it must be safe. The research team from Columbia believes that greater restrictions on prescription opioids and better education about its risks could help reduce the climbing numbers of fatalities.

Drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have now joined the ever-expanding list of chemical substances that teenagers are turning to in their search for escape from the pressures and disappointments of everyday existence. Even though these medications are normally used to calm young people who are too impulsive and cannot concentrate in classroom settings, paradoxically they are actually stimulants, and when they are consumed by those who do not have ADHD, they will tend to excite rather than relax. When taken recreationally, these drugs can dramatically elevate energy levels, cause states of euphoria, and improve self-confidence, which can make them seem like the perfect antidote to the typical adolescent angst.

But as is always the case with drugs, there is a dark side – these substances are potent and addictive, and many teens who have used ADHD medications to get high have found themselves plunging into dependency at lightning speed.

Symptoms and Side Effects of Abuse

A 2011 study of American middle school and high school students found that just over 4 percent were abusing Adderall, while slightly more than 2 percent were taking stolen or black market Ritalin without a prescription. These numbers are not exactly overwhelming, and they obviously pale in comparison to the percentages of youth who are using alcohol irresponsibly. But there is no question this reckless behavior is helping to fuel runaway increases in juvenile prescription drug abuse, even if the raw numbers do not seem to indicate a huge problem at the moment. Drugs for ADHD are already the third most commonly abused type of prescription drugs among adolescents, and if current trends continue, they may ultimately move into the top spot on the addiction chart.

Because of their potent chemical profiles and ability to cause strong physiological effects, medications like Ritalin and Adderall are somewhat controversial even when they are prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of ADHD. But when used by people who have not been diagnosed with these disorders, the strength of their effects is magnified – which is, of course, what makes them attractive to so many adolescents in the first place.

In addition to using these drugs to get high, some teens also take them so they can stay up late at night to study. But regardless of why young people are popping these pills like they were candy, these stimulants are bad news for the body, which is unable to metabolize them without undergoing significant stress and strain. Some of the more serious side effects experienced by those who abuse ADHD drugs include:

• Extremely high blood pressure
• Irregular heartbeat
• Seizures
• Tremors
• Significant mood swings
• Insomnia
• Anxiety attacks

Once the body begins to develop a tolerance for these medications, a person will need to take more and more to get the desired effects, and this is the point where recreational use can stealthily morph into addiction.

And unfortunately for the health of the addict, taking repeated high doses of drugs like Ritalin and Adderall can cause horrifying and dangerous side effects that will make earlier symptoms seem inconsequential in comparison. Delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, memory loss and confusion, stroke, and even death can result from the prolonged abuse of ADHD drugs, which underscores just how frightening and awful an addiction to this type of medication can be.

A Prescription for Danger

Parents with adolescents in the home need to carefully monitor the supplies of prescription drugs they store in their bathrooms and bedrooms. If these pills should suddenly start disappearing faster than expected, this could mean that one of the children in the home has been stealing them for his or her personal use, or to sell them or give them to other teenagers. Persistent mood swings and a tendency toward excessive secrecy are two strong indicators of prescription drug abuse in teens, and anytime parents notice such patterns of behavior internal alarm bells should begin ringing immediately.

When drug abuse is suspected, moms and dads must take the initiative and speak to their children about their fears and concerns; accusations and recriminations are likely to be met with denials and defiance, but when adolescents are spoken to respectfully and with a compassionate spirit, there is a good possibility they will respond in a positive manner and admit the truth about what has been going on. Depending on how out of control an adolescent’s drug habit may have gotten, seeking treatment for addiction may indeed be necessary, but even if things are only in a preliminary stage it is vitally important to let teenagers who are abusing prescription drugs know just how much trouble they could eventually encounter if they continue to consume these potentially lethal substances. Prescription medications are no less toxic and dangerous than any other type of drug, and this is a message that all adolescents need to hear, preferably from the ones who love and care for them most.

Clean Hands and Alcohol

Perhaps because it’s so ubiquitous and wedged into the common culture, hand sanitizer – a compound containing 62 percent ethyl alcohol – is readily available even at the entrances of stores. It’s provided as a courtesy for customers who don’t trust the hands of the person who pushed the cart before them, or maybe who don’t trust their own hands, but it’s also a very easy target for youths to pump into a palm and ingest. Teens who drink hand sanitizer to get drunk may also use salt to separate the alcohol from the inert ingredients and drink the distilled liquid straight. This is the same as a shot of 120 proof liquor. Now imagine a 4 or 5-year-old licking the same off her hand. It rapidly becomes a recipe for disaster and more than one has landed in the hospital for alcohol poisoning.

Why In the World?

Hand sanitizer comes in tempting scents these days, such as raspberry chocolate or brown sugar vanilla. Very young children are not strangers to putting things in their mouths to test the texture, flavor or smell; it’s almost automatic for them to do so. They’ll even munch on chap stick because it smells good. Regular hand sanitizer has a rather flowery taste to it that may or may not be attractive to a child, but other scents, especially chocolate, have proven to be tasty and therefore enticing to ingest. A 2-ounce bottle is enough to get a teen visibly drunk. Not all children will lean toward this behavior, but better to be safe than sorry; alcohol poisoning in the very young can cause permanent damage and even death. Several deaths have been reported when children mix hand sanitizer with mouthwash. A smaller circulatory system means faster effects and more dangerously lethal ones.

Symptoms of Hand Sanitizer Ingestion

Children will appear ill, woozy or lethargic, staggering and distant. Like most drunk people, even children will sport a glassy, dazed look, exhaustion, general weakness, and a wobbling gait. They may vomit, have seizures, skin may turn blue or go very pale, and breathing may be impaired or noisy. Low blood sugar or low body temperature may occur. Coma and even cardiac arrest can happen especially in the very young. Many of the poisonings happen at school, where a parent will receive a phone call lamenting their child’s extreme illness. Alcohol poisoning is usually the last thing on a parent’s mind where a 5 year old is concerned, but it happens. For the older crowd, it’s simply a cheap way to get drunk, but because the concentration is so high, even teens can end up in the hospital from alcohol poisoning. Perfume, mouthwash, hand sanitizer, cologne, aftershave and rubbing alcohol are all potential dangers. The younger the child, the more life-threatening the event. There are no home remedies for alcohol poisoning.

Cough Syrup as a Party Drug

Cough syrup, Robitussin in particular, has been a popular party drug for teens and young adults for many years. The active ingredient is DXM, dextromethorphan, and produces a psychedelic effect when enough is ingested. Coricidin Cough and Cold tablets are also a popular source of DXM, but kidney-damaging side effects have been noted if the medicine contains chlorpheniramine maleate (an antihistamine) or acetaminophen (non-aspirin). As a psychedelic drug, DXM is an hallucinogen, and when Robitussin is involved, it’s called robo-tripping. There are four plateaus to the drug. Some may experience all of them, some only a couple depending on dosage amount. The first is a mild buzz, like from a beer; the second is euphoria and mild hallucinations, similar to being simultaneously drunk and stoned; the third plateau is dissociative, where trippers experience impaired motor function or the feeling of heaviness too great to walk, blood like ice, or burning diarrhea; the fourth can be compared to an out-of-body experience or fully dissociative. This can cause major stuttering, utter confusion, inability to tell night from day, the inability to mark passing of time, and eventually cause unconsciousness. Mixed with the second active ingredient in Robitussin, guaifenesin (an expectorant), the effects can be deadly. Many will mix DXM with other drugs such as marijuana, alcohol, mushrooms, and LSD. These combinations can cause particularly potent, and potentially bad, trips.

DXM Side Effects

There are a number of immediate negative side effects to DXM usage. Vomiting, diarrhea, terrible stomach cramping, paranoia, hot and cold flashes, reduced motor function, depression, and even collapse. Long-term effects include memory impairment (loss of short-term memory), possible fertility issues especially in women, brain damage, heart damage and kidney damage.

Chronic use will require increased dosages of DXM to gain the same effects and can be habit-forming. Ex-users have noticed bouts of uncontrollable stuttering and possible nerve damage in the form of twitchy muscles and shaking hands even long after habitual use has ended. Continued stomach cramping and chest pains are also reported. Most complaints regard the permanent loss of memory. It takes only 15-20 mg to feel the effects (about a bottle of Robitussin or half a box of Coricidin) and many go beyond that. The trip takes a while to kick in – anywhere from an hour to four – and can last over eight hours and even into the next day after sleeping.

Adults, please make sure all cough medicines, all pharmaceuticals, and anything containing alcohol is kept out of the reach of children.

Click here to find a DEA collection site near you.

The Prescription Abuse Problem

While most teens and adults do not consider prescribed drugs to be as dangerous as heroin or cocaine (they’re FDA-approved substances after all, right?), prescription drug abuse is a big and growing health problem. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) states that “prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused category of drugs,” accounting for more deaths and rates of abuse than cocaine, heroin and hallucinogens combined. And the abuse trends are still skyrocketing. Overall, the NCADD estimates that about 48 million people have abused prescription drugs—nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population

Prescription drugs that are commonly abused include pain relievers, sedatives and stimulants. The top 10 offenders in terms of abuse and death rate are:

• Hydrocodone
• Codeine
• Fentanyl
• Morphine
• Valium
• Xanax
• Ambien
• Lunesta
• Ritalin
• Adderall

Sam’s Close Call

Prescription abuse affects everyone in the community, and just about everyone in my high school and college knew someone who abused, overdosed, or nearly died from prescription abuse. In my friend’s case—let’s call him Sam—it was the combination of hydrocodone and alcohol that hospitalized and nearly killed him just after he turned 18.

It turned out that Sam and a couple of his friends had a prescription pill problem for a while, but they hid it so well that no one, including us, had any idea. But one night it all came crashing down. I still remember when we got the call. Sam had been rushed to the hospital by ambulance from a party after he passed out and wouldn’t wake up. It had been the same sort of party that he’d gone to many times, but for some reason Sam’s body couldn’t take it anymore. It was a long, scary ordeal, but he made it out alive. Sam still doesn’t remember what happened that night, but he did go to rehab and allowed his body to detox after his close call. Withdrawal was very difficult for him, but he never complained. He just kept saying how happy he was to get a second chance. He is still in therapy to understand why he abused prescription drugs in the first place.

Overdose Risks

Not everyone who abuses prescription drugs is as lucky as Sam. A quick Google News search will pull up dozens of prescription overdose deaths in the last month alone, including many teen deaths. Unfortunately, according to one recent survey, 40 percent of teens still believe that prescription pills, including those not prescribed by a doctor, are safer than illegal drugs. Many fear that this misconception could be a factor in the rising rates of prescription abuse in teens. Nearly 40,000 American died last year from drug overdoses, and well over half of those deaths (22,000) were from prescription pills.

How Proper Prescription Disposal Helps

Waterway Pollution: Why take the pills to a drop-off center when you can flush them down the toilet? There are many chemicals, hormones and other substances in prescription pills that can wreak havoc on the local waterways. It is far safer to drop them off where there’s no chance of contamination.

Self-Medication: It’s tempting to save those extra antibiotics or Vicodin pills in case you get sick or injured, but it’s best to avoid the temptation. Overuse and improper use of antibiotics renders them less effective and can make an infection or illness worse, while some pain killers or steroids may be inappropriate or dangerous for your current situation, even if they worked well just a couple months ago.

Opportunity for Abuse: Unlike illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, the majority of prescription drug abusers, both teens and adults, get their drugs from family members, usually by raiding a medicine cabinet without their knowledge.

We may never be able to wipe out prescription drug abuse with events like these. After all, those who make a profit are certainly not going to give up their illegal revenue, and many others would prefer to save their prescriptions for later to save on money or doctor’s visits. But by safely disposing of thousands of pounds of unused drugs and promoting awareness, perhaps our community can put a significant dent in the problem.

References:

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/

http://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/Files/File/DEApillbook_1_5_08.pdf

http://www.ncadd.org/index.php/learn-about-drugs/prescription-drugs

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/19/news/la-heb-drug-overdoses-increase-20130219

http://www.cdc.gov/injury/about/focus-rx.html

And in this instance we are not talking about prescription drugs. Instead, we are referring to such supposedly benign substances as cough and cold remedies, diet pills, sleeping pills, and medicines taken for motion sickness. Many believe these types of over-the-counter chemical potions can be used with impunity, but, in reality, these substances are neither as harmless nor as mild as people think, especially if taken in larger-than-usual doses.

Parents may not know that kids are actually ingesting medications like these for recreational purposes, but that is exactly what is happening in millions of households across the country. Experts estimate that nearly 10 percent of all adolescents have abused OTC drugs at some point in their lives, and, among the 13-16 age group in particular, it appears that the use of these substances has been increasing dramatically.

But just as adults are often fooled into believing medicines sold over the counter are automatically safe, teenagers who consume these drugs for their mind-altering capacities are guilty of the same mistaken assumption. It is true that these substances are unlikely to cause harm if used as prescribed, but when they are taken at triple or quadruple the normal dosage for their intoxicating effects, they can be just as dangerous as any street drug or prescription medication.

The Challenge of Detection

Needless to say, parents won’t be able to do much to protect their children from the risks associated with OTC drug abuse if they aren’t even aware that the problem exists. A campaign of simple consciousness-raising may not be enough to stem the rising tide of OTC abuse and addiction, however, because the signs that indicate substance abuse may be difficult to spot in many instances.

The trouble is not that warning signs do not exist and will not become evident—they do and they will. But because teenage comportment is so unpredictable and mercurial even in the best of times, it is not always clear why adolescents are displaying certain behavioral patterns or why their moods and interests have suddenly changed so much. Some of it is inherent to that particular stage of life, at least for some kids, but in other situations changes in previously established habits and the appearance of new and unpleasant personality traits may be related to a growing substance abuse problem.

According to drug and alcohol abuse experts, the warning signs that might indicate an adolescent has been abusing OTC substances include:

• OTC medications suddenly going missing from the medicine cabinet
• Insomnia or other disruptions in normal sleeping patterns
• Unusual outbursts of temper or other examples of roller coaster-like mood swings
• Abandonment of previous hobbies and activities
• An abrupt downturn in academic performance
• Secretive or reclusive behavior; obsessive concern with privacy
• Medicine-like odors coming from the child or the child’s room
• Overt signs of being drugged—sluggishness, hyperactivity, rambling speech, extreme nausea, etc.

The presence of one or two of these symptoms can probably be chalked up to the typical teenage angst (with the obvious exception of the first one, which can be almost impossible to detect since most people don’t keep close track of the amount of OTC medication they have on hand). But if a teen is exhibiting four, five, or more of these symptoms, this is a clear sign of trouble and it is a situation that no parent should ignore. The problem may or may not be related to OTC abuse, but when warning signs like these are present, parents need to be proactive and assertive and engage their kids in frank and honest conversation.

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Over-the-counter drug abuse is a disturbing trend among youth. To a significant extent, it is thriving on adult ignorance and naivety, as parents are frequently unable to detect what is happening even though indications are undoubtedly present.

But raised awareness of the risk combined with a watchful eye can reverse this situation in a hurry. If alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, or over-the-counter substances are being abused by adolescents, there will be signs, and parents who are paying attention and making a concerted effort to be involved in their kids’ lives should be able to separate the signal from the noise and differentiate between normal fluctuations in teen behavior and changes that indicate something disturbing is going on. From this point on, individual parents will have to decide for themselves how exactly to proceed—but proceed they must, and quickly, before the situation gets completely out of hand.

And if the problem does turn out to be the abuse of OTC drugs, the chances of it getting out of hand are excellent. Illness, addiction, overdose, coma, and even death—all are possible if action is not taken and the use of these substances by young people is allowed to continue unabated.

It is important for parents of teens and preteens to know what household products teens are using to get high. Kids end up in emergency rooms every year for trying to consume or inhale these items. The best medicine is prevention, so talk with your kids about the dangers and keep the door of communication open. Make sure they know that they can come to you with questions and to talk.

• Cold medicine. Abusing cold medicine has been a pursuit of young people for many years. The compound dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medications, can produce a high when taken in large quantities. Recommended doses are 15 to 30 milligrams. When kids abuse cough syrup, they may take several hundred milligrams at once. This produces a feeling of euphoria, poor motor coordination and even hallucinations. Some teens will drink a whole bottle of cough syrup in pursuit of this high and many end up in the emergency room.
• Electronics duster. A newer high discovered by teens comes from the pressurized spray cans that are used for cleaning electronic equipment. This product is sometimes called keyboard duster because it is used to get the dust from between keys. It is possible to get a high from inhaling the contents of a can of duster, but the danger is that the results can vary quite a lot from person to person. For some people, the result of inhaling it is a rapid heartbeat and dizziness, while others have died just from using it once.
• Whipped cream. Those pressurized canisters of whipped cream contain the gas nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. Kids inhale this gas to get a high. The effect is a short-term high that includes dizziness, ringing in the ears, confusion, and excitement. The nickname for this high is a whip-its.
• Nutmeg. Surprising as it may sound, teens have figured out how to get a high from the spice rack. Consuming a large amount of ground nutmeg, around five teaspoons, produces a stimulant-like effect. It can produce a numb sensation in the body, a feeling of euphoria, hallucinations and paranoia. This is due to a compound in nutmeg called myristicin. It also causes pretty serious and unpleasant digestive issues, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Glue. Glue is another household product that kids have been using for many years. The process of inhaling the fumes from glue and other adhesives is called huffing and involves putting the glue in a paper bag and then inhaling. The bag traps the fumes allowing them to be inhaled more easily and efficiently. The fumes from glue products produce a high, but can also cause death, even after the first use.
• Choking. While this trend does not involve a household chemical, it is a type of high that kids are trying because it is easy and accessible. They achieve a high simply by cutting off oxygen to the brain. They do it by choking each other. When done incorrectly, the teen being choked can die. There have also been instances of teens trying the game alone. With no one around to get help, this is particularly dangerous.

When you stop to consider all of the harmful substances lurking in your home and how teens may abuse them, it can be terrifying. The good news is that most teens have no interest in doing this. Even so, it is important to understand what can be used, and how much harm these substances and behaviors can cause. You may trust your child not to try something stupid, but peer pressure is a powerful motivating force. Educate yourself and your children about the dangers of household highs to prevent the unthinkable.

Every day in the United States, an average of 2,000 teenagers use prescription drugs without a prescription for the first time. Among youth who are 12 to 17 years old, 2.8 percent reported past-month nonmedical use of prescription medications. According to the 2012 Monitoring the Future survey, prescription and over-the-counter drugs are among the most commonly abused drugs by 12th graders, after alcohol, marijuana, synthetic marijuana (e.g., “Spice”), and tobacco. Youth who abuse prescription medications are also more likely to report use of other drugs.

Rehab professionals say that addiction to prescription drugs accounts for about 40 percent of teen admittances to treatment.

Teens who are unsure how to deal with painful emotions and kids looking for a way to fit in account for much of the abuse, but the practice is also fueled by the wrong belief that prescriptions are somehow safer than other “street” drugs.

Prescription painkillers are the most often abused, but anti-anxiety medications like Valium or Xanax and stimulants such as Adderall are also high on the list.  The sheer abundance of these drugs in family homes is one reason the problem has become so prevalent.

Locking up or disposing of unused medications is a simple way to prevent the problem from starting.  Carefully assessing your own use of prescription medications is another.

Prescription drug abuse usually produces blatant behavioral changes that should be easy for attentive parents to spot.  If parents note altered academic performance or extreme moods, they should follow up and find out if prescription medications are responsible.

The wrong thing to do is to ignore one’s suspicions.  Kids may respond in anger in the short run, but if the child is caught up in addiction, in the long run her or she will be grateful that mom or dad stepped in.

Outpatient therapy or inpatient therapy is available for teens trapped in addiction. Thousands of teens  who have struggled with addition have now living healthy and happy lives with the help of treatment and recovery services.

How to talk to your child about drug issues.

Both OxyContin and Roxicodone are forms of the drug Oxycodone. Oxycodone is a powerful painkiller. It is one of several drugs referred to as opioids because of their similarities to opium in terms of effect. In the past Oxycodone was regularly combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) medications like aspirin and ibuprofen. These over-the-counter NSAIDs boosted the effect of Oxycodone in reducing inflammation and fever and providing moderate pain relief. OxyContin represented a new form of Oxycodone, one that was unmixed with these NSAIDs.

OxyContin initially had a time-release coating so that the pain relief of the Oxycodone was delivered over a period of several hours. It was not long, however, before abusers found that the drug could be crushed to avoid the time-release control. Once crushed, the drug could be snorted or injected to give a powerful rush of unadulterated Oxycodone. Abuse of the drug was so rampant in rural parts of the country that it quickly came to be called hillbilly heroin. Eventually OxyContin abuse became so widespread that in 2011, the makers of the drug re-formulated it to make it harder to crush and abuse.

Users then turned to Roxicodone since it was in a form which could still be crushed. Teens who abuse the drug call it “roxie” for short, although it is also referred to as ‘blues’. Statistics show that teen use of Roxicodone is on the upswing as is teen use of heroin. In fact, many believe that teen infatuation with Roxicodone explains the parallel rise in heroin abuse among young people. After all, Roxicodone can cost as much as one dollar for one milligram but Heroin, by comparison, costs as little as $50 per gram. The two drugs offer similar effects but heroin is considerably less expensive and therefore makes an affordable replacement for teens.

Roxicodone abuse is troublesome for a number of reasons. First of all, like all the opioid drugs, Roxicodone will not always remain effective at the same dosage. The human body develops a tolerance for these pain relievers and within a space of time the person will need more of the drug in order to get the same effect. In addition to the body’s physical tolerance, most users develop a psychological attachment to the drug. Even though the body does not physically require the drug, the person feels such an intense dependence upon Roxicodone that they feel as though they really do require it.

For this reason, a person should rarely simply stop taking Roxicodone. Normally, it is best for the person to slowly taper off their use under the supervision of a doctor and later under the care of a detox program. Weaning off of Roxicodone this way can reduce or even eliminate the experience of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

The stimulants (like Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin etc.) which are prescribed to patients with ADHD are powerful drugs. They help patients to block out distractions and to think more clearly. Unfortunately, college students have used these medications as ‘smart’ drugs to help them stay awake for study and to improve performance on tests and assignments. Students either buy the pills from kids with a legitimate prescription or they lie to physicians in order to get their own prescriptions.

Most students don’t realize it can be medically dangerous for those without a proper diagnosis to be taking these prescription medications. Stimulants pose a potential danger for addiction. They can also result in risks to heart health and may even produce psychosis. Young people may think that the drugs are safe from these dangers because they are widely prescribed by physicians, but the health risks are very real.

A recent Psych Central article on this topic discussed still another reason for curbing use of ‘smart’ drugs. In Canada, where a socialized health care delivery system is in place, writing too many prescriptions for these drugs is not only a question of ethics and good medicine, but one of limited resources as well. When there are only so many pills to go around, should those who really need them go without because healthy patients are looking for an academic edge?