Prescription Drugs and Your Teen

by Ryan Glassmoyer

As a teen drug user I knew I was doing wrong when I ingested cocaine, but when my friends brought their mother’s prescription pain killers to school I thought little of taking them. Swallowing those pills I often didn’t even know the name of resulted in blacked-out school days and health risks. Ultimately my high school use led to full blown heroin addiction and dropping out of college. Looking back on the issue of prescription abuse I see how my path could have been directed in a healthier direction. Parents gaining understanding of what their kids are really up against in the high school drug scene helps them help their teens.

Among students who are 12 to 17 years old 7.7 percent reported prescription drug abuse last year. According to the 2010 Monitoring the Future survey, prescription and over-the-counter drugs are the third most commonly abused drugs by 12th graders following alcohol and weed. The most commonly used drugs are pain relievers (such as OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin), central nervous system depressants (Xanax, Valium), and stimulants (Ritalin and Adderall). Teens are also abusing over-the-counter cough suppressants containing DXM (dextromethorphan). Students who report prescription abuse are also more likely to take street drugs; making medications a less known “gateway drug.”

Prescription drugs are not safer than street drugs. Prescription drug abuse occurs whenever someone takes a drug prescribed to someone else or in a larger than recommended dose. Prescription opiates work the same way as heroin in the brain and overdose can cause respiratory arrest and death. Drugs like DXM land many high school students in the hospital. Abusing any mind-altering chemicals can affect judgement and inhibition and may put teens at risk for STDs or car accidents. Abusing prescription drugs is illegal and carries the same legal penalties as street drugs. Parents have more influence over prescription meds than street drugs.

Parents might unknowingly be the source of these drugs. Teens get their prescription pills from relatives or friends more often than from drug dealers. In a survey 54 percent of high school seniors said Vicodin would be easy for them to get. Prescribed drugs can be found in almost any American medicine cabinet. Despite the drugs’ rampant availability parents can help children by informing them of drug dangers and creating a safe environment for communication.

When I was young I feared talking to my mother about the drug use that went on in my school. My parents had an unrealistic perspective of my world; they knew what they thought my world should be instead of what it really was. Drugs are a big part of teen life. If your kid isn’t doing drugs they at least know someone who is trying them. Many kids are prescribed amphetamine drugs for ADD (Adderall) and share them with their friends. Try to empathize with the dual nature of drugs in a high school kid’s brain. Society at large knows that drugs are bad, but the high school atmosphere sees substances as cool; putting kids in limbo. A parent cannot fully understand, but they can make an effort to strengthen support through communication.

Only 36% of parents have discussed the risks of prescription drugs with their teen. Research shows that parental disapproval is a powerful way to keep teens away from using drugs. Adolescence is a time when mistakes can be made in a relatively safe space if parental support is implemented. As a teen I feared my mother’s reaction to honesty about my drug use, so I completely hid it from her and ended up in a lot of scary situations with no adult to help me out. My path could have been different if I hadn’t feared condemnation for the experimentation I’d done. It’s tricky because no parent wants to approve of their child’s drug use, but you can have compassion for your kid’s difficult position. Express to your teen what you know about prescription drug abuse and ask them what issues they’re aware of or confused about. Inviting the discussion before trouble arises will create a safe place in the home for your child to visit if the day comes when they are tempted to abuse prescriptions.

Sources:
● “Facts on Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs” from the NIDA U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
● http://www.examiner.com/pharmaceuticals-in-seattle/teen-prescription-drug-abuse

Ryan Glassmoyer
Managing Editor
AllTreatment.com
AllTreatment.com is a drug education and treatment website.