Teen Abuse of Prescription Drugs

Imagine an unknown mixture of prescription pills being poured into a bowl, then grabbing a handful and ingesting a random and often dangerous combination of drugs in hopes of getting high.

This is the disturbing new trend that teens are now turning to in lieu of illegal drugs like marijuana.

More and more teens and college students across the U.S. are having get-togethers called "pharm parties" where people bring assortments of prescription drugs of which they swap and create recipes of pills to get high.

According to an article from Yahoo news which summarized the findings of the report by John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy: while teen use of marijuana declined from 30.1 percent to 25.8 percent from 2002 to 2005, use of the painkillers OxyContin increased from 2.7 percent to 3.5 percent, and Vicodin increased from 6 percent to 6.3 percent.

Vicodin and Oxycontin are the most commonly abused prescription drugs by teens. Many teens have the wrong idea that prescription drugs can't really harm you, because they are meant to help you.

Mary K. Connell, the Director of Health Services for Salve Regina University quickly dismissed the notion that prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs, which is a common misunderstanding teens have.

"Kids don't understand the side effects of prescription drugs," Connell said. "They mix the pills together with alcohol and other drugs, and you can't do that."

In many cases, misuse of prescription drugs can be damaging and even fatal. It's easy for kids to accidentally overdose on prescription pills, Connell said, especially at "pharm parties" where no one pays attention to what anyone is consuming. Potential serious consequences of prescription drug abuse include: addiction, strokes, seizures, comas and death.

There are even Web sites for ordering pharmaceuticals without written prescriptions and published recipes of pills to mix for getting high. Other common prescription drugs that are abused by teens are stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin and various sleep medicines, Connell said.

With prescription drug abuse on the rise, Connell said that it's important for any location that prescribes drugs, especially to young people, to be careful.

"You have to decide if someone really is in pain," Connell said, to determine whether or not they really need the prescription.

According to a 2005 survey by the Partnership for a Drug-free America, published in an article by USA Today, 19 percent of U.S. teenagers, 4.5 million youths, reported having taken prescription drugs to get high.

According to Ralph Detri, a clinical social worker, licensed chemical dependency professional and adjunct professor for the Salve Regina social work department, the rise in teen prescription drug abuse is reminiscent to the drug parties and experimentation of the 1970s.

Often time, teens crush prescription pills and snort them, making the drug too powerful to consume all at once.

"The potential to overdose is very high," Detri said.

Detri attributes the turn from illegal drugs to prescription drugs to that of accessibility. Prescription drugs are more available and easier to get a hold of, teens can find them in their parent's medicine cabinets, Detri said.

Abusers of prescription drugs think that they are more socially acceptable than illegal drugs, Detri said.

Rising popularity of pharmaceuticals among teens is creating a big market for them. A single Vicodin pill can go for as much as $40-45 on the street, Detri said.

Detri notes that abuse of prescription drugs is occurring younger and younger; he sees people as young as 13 in his private psychotherapy practice.

According to Walter's report, one third of all new abusers of prescription drugs in 2005 were 12 - 17 year olds.

Detri thinks that if teens see their parents depending on prescription drugs all the time, it's setting a bad example.

"Parents need to be role models," Detri said.

To help prevent teens from obtaining prescription drugs from parents, it's important to dispose of leftover painkillers or other pills that aren't needed.

With prescription drug abuse becoming more present on college campuses, it's necessary for campuses to have chemical dependency professionals on hand, Detri said.

"Prescription drug abuse is not just a health issue, it's a behavioral issue," Detri said.

Krystal Boutin, a CVS pharmacy technician sees instances of prescription drug abuse everyday.

People come to the pharmacy hoping to get more pills, even though their prescription only called for a ten day supply, Boutin said.

"At least four times a day someone comes in here trying to abuse the system," Boutin said.

Boutin sees people of all ages trying to abuse prescription drugs, from young adults to the elderly, although adolescents are statistically more apt to become dependent on pharmaceuticals.

Any drug has the potential to be unsafe, Boutin said, even something as simple as Tylenol if proper dosage isn't followed.

Many teens have the misconception that prescription drugs are less dangerous than illegal drugs.

Abuse of prescription drugs can be just as harmful, if not more harmful than illegal drugs.

"You're basically tearing apart your insides," Boutin said.

Of course, prescription drugs aren't all bad. When taken in proper dosages while being medically supervised, prescriptions help people.

As the website Painfullyobvious.com states: "It's important that you understand that depending on how prescription drugs are used, they can either save a life... or end it."