Fighting Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs, when used according to instruction can be safe for treating pain, allergies, and infection. Teens lie in the odd position of having to take drugs in doses for adults due to dosage instructions generally being provided for "children under the age of 12" or "adults." It would be a rare occasion to see dosage instructions and recommendations for teens. While the adult doses may be on the large side for many teens, depending on their developmental stage, over-the-counter drugs, and prescription drugs are often abused by taking them for purposes other than the legitimate treatment of pain, allergy, or infection.

Teens are sometimes taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them by trading other prescription drugs found in their homes, or flat out buying drugs from other teenagers who have come into possession of them, by either legal or illegal means. But what happens when these prescription drugs are passes, is that they have often been separated from their dosage instructions and warning labels. While taking an un-prescribed drug even in a recommended dose can do harm, teenagers may not understand the danger of doing so, and even more dangerously, may take larger than prescribed doses or mix drugs unsafely.

Whenever a pill is away from its instructions and warnings, it should be disposed of, not consumed. Should you find pills in your house that do not have proper labeling, there are several websites for pill identification. By identifying pills, you are better equipped to deal with and understand why your teenager might be taking them un-prescribed.

GetSmartAboutDrugs.com has a visual drug identification section and you can download a book about teens and prescription drug use, which includes pictures and information about medicine that teens commonly abuse.

Drugs.com's Pill Identification Wizard has a searchable database of 3,000 images. It is easy to search by shape or color or by other identifying marks on the pill.

About.com has a section on the most commonly abused drugs, from illicit street drugs to over-the-counter and prescription medicine. Review the page to see if the drug you have is a commonly abused one.