Parents Numb to Abuse of Narcotic Pain Meds by Youth, Poll Finds

Category: News   Tags: , parenting, prescription drug abuse prevention, prescription painkiller abuse

Bad things happen to other people. This is the vision that researchers found when they interviewed parents about teen drug abuse. In a report from the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, most parents did not seem to  be concerned with teen abuse of narcotic pain medicine. Most believed it wasn’t a big problem in their community, and was even less of a problem in their own household. This lack of concern translates into limited support for policies that would minimize the ways that these drugs get into the hands of children and teens.

Easy Access of Prescription Drugs Leads to Record Level of Abuse

Category: News   Tags: , prescription drug overdose, teen prescription drug abuse

Health groups and even politicians have called the problem of prescription drug abuse in the United States an epidemic. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that more Americans died from overdoses of prescription painkillers than from cocaine and heroin combined.

The Truth About Adolescent Abuse of ADHD Medications

Category: News   Tags: , ADHD medication abuse, Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

There has been much public discussion recently about the growing tide of teen prescription drug abuse. With medicine cabinets as convenient in-home pharmacies, the temptations have been too strong for curious adolescents to resist, and the abuse and dangerous misuse of prescription medications by youth is a disturbing epidemic that should concern parents everywhere.

Household Highs: Pantry Party Drugs

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Few parents or guardians realize the potential party they’re sponsoring right in their own medicine cabinets and linen closets, or even leaving out casually on the counters. Common household items such as hand sanitizer and cough syrup can become recipes for dangerous highs and even alcohol poisoning. While cough syrup as a party drug is far from new, hand sanitizer as a source of drunkenness is a more recent development only now being noticed as more and more young children are being admitted into the emergency room by fretful parents.

National Drug Take-Back Day on April 27 Allows for Safe Disposal of Old Medications

Category: News   Tags: , prescription drug abuse prevention, prescription drug disposal, teen prescription drug abuse

The DEA’s National Take-Back Initiative, National Take-Back Day, set for April 27, is the perfect time to dispose of your unused or unwanted prescription medications. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, people have properly disposed of more than 2 million pounds of prescription medications in the last five Take-Back Day events. So why bother taking part? With the alarming rise of prescription abuse and overdose rates among teens and their adult family members, now is a more important time than ever to do what little we can to help prevent more unnecessary deaths and hospital visits.

Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse Among Teens: Read the Warning Signs

Category: News   Tags: , ADHD medication abuse, parenting, Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

Parents of adolescents are naturally concerned about the possibility of their kids getting involved with illegal drugs or alcohol. But few moms and dads realize that they may be keeping dangerous and potentially addictive substances right in their very own medicine cabinets or bathroom drawers.

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.

What Are Teens Using in the House to Get High?

Category: News   Tags: , cough medicine abuse, substance abuse

Using common, household products to get high is nothing new, but every time a news story reports on the latest trend, it seems shocking that anyone would do it. Teens and kids are susceptible to this kind of drug abuse because the chemicals sitting around the house are easy to access. Many of these items can also be bought with no restrictions and for pocket change when compared to illegal street drugs.

Is Your Teen Raiding Your Medicine Cabinet?

Category: News   Tags: , prescription drug disposal, Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

Teenagers are not oblivious to their parents’ upsurge in the use of prescription medications.  In fact, many teens are robbing the family medicine bottles to feed their own addiction to prescription drugs.  

Roxicodone Abuse

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By now, many are aware of the national epidemic of prescription drug abuse which is taking place. Much of the abuse centers on prescription painkillers. Opioids like OxyContin have become sought after by citizens of many ages and occupations looking for a quick escape from reality. Sadly, even teenagers are caught up in the current plague of addiction to prescription painkillers. For teens, the drug Roxicodone has become a favorite and has proven to be a gateway drug for heroin.

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.

Stimulant Drugs Can Be Dangerous When Used Without a Diagnosis

Category: News   Tags: , ADHD medication abuse

Drugs specifically designed to help those with disordered cognition can be life savers for those with conditions like attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but they should not be prescribed to those who do not clearly fit diagnostic parameters. These drugs can be dangerous for those who want to use them to sharpen well-functioning brains.