The evil that’s posing great danger to our teens

Prescription drug abuse has reached the level of epidemic in the US, with over 16 million people as habitual abusers. What worsens the matter is that the majority of the abusers are below teens,  teens or in their early 20s.

Some of the very disturbing facts about prescription drug abuses include:

• A high percentage of high school students were found to have abused illicit drugs other than marijuana through entailed prescription medication misuse.

• An estimated 20-22% of the 12th graders are in the habit of abusing tranquilizers or prescription medication misuse more than heroin and  cocaine combined.

• The third most worrisome drug trends among the teens after marijuana and alcohol is abuse or misuse of prescription drugs.

• More than 1600 teens begin abusing prescription drugs every year.

• Almost 25% of the total teen population of America abused prescription drugs and nearly 20% of the them did so before the age of 14.                            

The above facts presents a shocking reality in our country due to prescription drug abuse which is increasing at a dangerous speed and causing higher death tolls with every passing year than caused by all illegal substances combined.

The genesis of the problem

Prescription drug abuse defines taking medicines not for health requirement but for addiction, recreation or for a high, often by stealing others’ prescriptions or by other means.The abuser may use his or her old prescriptions to buy drugs to satisfy his/her addiction to certain side effect of that drug.

Medicines for genuine health reasons are prescribed by a doctor after considerations such as

age and body weight of the patient, acidic or alkaline nature of his/her constitution, reactions to specific drugs, BP , sugar level and other conditions,etc. The medicines are specific to certain health conditions of an individual and valid for certain period only and must be stopped after that.

Some people , however, discovered the other aspects of the medicines beside their medicinal effects - some are sedative, anxiety buster, some provide instant stimulation or pleasant feelings and others provide elation, excitement and intoxication - that they want to continue experiencing even after they are cured.

The extra joyful effects of some of the medicines are spread by word of mouth and capture the imagination of those who are fallible and look out for different ways of addiction. The reasons behind such rapid expansion of prescription drug abuse are that some people mistakenly believe abusing prescription drugs is safer than taking street drugs like cocaine, heroin and the likes, besides, they are cheaper and easier to acquire than the street drugs.

There are other angles too which convert one to be a habitual abuser, such as -

Genetic: if any close family member happens to be a drug abuser then there are chances that the children will pick up the trait.

Environmental: Unruly household environment might drive a child to become alcoholic or abuser of street drugs or prescription drugs.

Psychological: Untreated mental illnesses in some people may lead them to self medication with alcohol or prescription drug abuse.

Most abused prescription drugs

Opioids: Opioids are a group of prescribed painkillers which includes drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, Codeine and Morphine. These are the strong pain relievers generally prescribed for postoperative pain reliefs and other chronic pains.

Since Opioids give similar effect as heroin they are a common choice for drug abuse.

Depressants: Depressants act on the central nervous system directly . They are the drugs that suppress or slower the activity of the brain and nerves. Prescribed depressants generally include barbiturates( phenobarbital, thiopental, butalbital ), benzodiazepines ( alprazolam, diazepam ), alcohol and gamma hydroxybutyrate(GHB). Abusing depressants help relieve anxiety, promote sleep and manage seizure activity.

Stimulants: Stimulants are prescribed by the doctors to treat ADHD and to boost alertness, energy and attention. Drugs such as Ritalin, Concerta, Dexedrine and Adderall, etc. cause dopamine and norepinephrine to build up in the brain. The side effects include feelings of paranoia and anxiety, increase in heart rate and body temperature.

Signs of prescription drug abuse

Addiction is a brain condition that causes intense seeking, craving and using of a substance. Addiction care services reveal that Individuals who struggle with prescription drug addiction suffer from multiple mental illnesses prominent or underlying, as listed below -

Anxiety

Schizophrenia

Depression

Violence

Bipolar disorder

Alcoholism

Prescription drug misuse or abuse lead to increased drug tolerance which causes very slow or late response by the body to medications when some health problem occurs. Symptoms and signs of abuse vary with the substance being abused.

In general, changes in sleep, mood, appetite, weight, behaviour are common to notice. The habitual abuser generally looks disorganised and have convulsions or slurred speech with tremor. The abuser often have trouble in school or at work. They are likely to exhibit emotional outburst, lack of motivation or may be engaged in suspicious behaviour.

It has been found that prescription drugs are used for different reasons by male and females. While males tend to use them for recreations, females use them generally for weight loss, alertness, etc.

To the parents

Drug addiction through prescription drug abuse is especially possible due to easy access of drugs and prescriptions not intended for them. It is important for you, the parents of teenagers, to be aware of this fact and to be careful about what is there in your medical cabinets.

The time has come to discuss openly about this menace and the wrong perceptions related to this with your child and pursue or encourage treatment as early as you come to know about the possible abuse by him / her.