Would You Know If Your Child Was Addicted to Prescription Drugs?

While illegal drug use among teens is falling, teen prescription drug abuse is on the rise. One in five teens has abused a prescription pain medication and in some parts of the country, prescription drugs have killed 300% more people than illegal drugs.

Every day in the US, 2,500 youth (12 to 17) abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time.Prescription drug abuse, while most prevalent in the US, is a problem in many areas around the world including Europe, Southern Africa and South Asia. In the US alone, more than 15 million people abuse prescription drugs, more than the combined number who reported abusing cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin.

A US survey found that 3.3% of 12- to 17-year-olds and 6% of 17- to 25-year-olds had abused prescription drugs in the past month.

Prescription drug abuse causes the largest percentage of deaths from drug overdosing. Of the 22,400 drug overdose deaths in the US, opioid painkillers were the most commonly found drug, accounting for 38.2% of these deaths.

Prescription and Non Prescription Overdose Deaths

Prescription drugs are easier for kids to get than illicit drugs and can be found mostly in their parents' medicine cabinets, but also from friends' homes, internet pharmacies or classmates. Some signs that your child might be abusing include:

• personality changes
• social withdrawal
• a change in appearance
• erratic behavior
  
  Among adolescents, prescription and over-the-counter medications account for most of the commonly abused illicit drugs by high school seniors.
• Nearly 1 in 12 high school seniors reported nonmedical use of Vicodin; 1 in 20 reported abuse of OxyContin.
• When asked how prescription narcotics were obtained for nonmedical use, 70% of 12th graders said they were given to them by a friend or relative. The number obtaining them over the internet was negligible.
• Among those who abuse prescription drugs, high rates of other risky behaviors, including abuse of other drugs and alcohol, have also been reported

What Parents Can Do

• Monitor your medicine cabinets. Count how many pills you have and make note of the date when you should expect to refill your prescriptions. Be aware that kids may obtain these drugs from medicine cabinets while visiting friends or family. Restrict the availability of these substances within your home.
• Talk with your child about drug use. Help him or her understand that misused prescription drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs. When used in combination with other substances, such as alcohol, prescription drug use can be fatal.
• Use our department "drug drop box" program to rid your home of useless or expired medications.
• This is a great video that can help explain how addiction can start. Take a few minutes and view it.  http://www.drugfreeworld.org/real-life-stories.html