Every day in the United States, approximately 2,500 adolescents from ages 12 to 17 abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time.  Today, more than 15 million people in the United States abuse prescription drugs.  This is more than the combined number of people who have reported to abusing cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin (“The Truth About…”).  Unfortunately these shocking statistics have only been increasing, leading prescription drug abuse to be on the forefront of public health concerns.  Recognizing that our country has a grave issue concerning prescription drugs is only the first step to remedying this escalating epidemic.  It is now that we must find a logical solution to stop medicinal misuse, before the cases of addiction and death rises even higher.  This means that the root of the problem must be attacked- ignorance.  Many teenagers are unaware of the horrible consequences of prescription drug abuse, and countless parents are uninformed about the proper ways to store their medicines away from their children’s prying hands.  Education may not completely solve this horrible problem, but it is definitely a great first step.

     Abuse of prescription drugs is broadly defined as people who are using prescription drugs even though a physician does not prescribe them, or they are using the drugs specifically to feel a certain way.  The types of drugs that have the highest potential for abuse are psychotherapeutic drugs such as hydrocodone, benzodiazepines such as Xanax, and muscle relaxants such as carisoprodal.  The 2005 Partnership Attitude Tracking Survey (PATS) of teens in grades seven through twelve illustrated the top twelve reasons as to why teens cited abusing prescription drugs.  According to this survey, 62% of teen abusers do so because it easy to get from their parents’ medicine cabinets, 51% do so because they are not illegal, and 35% think they are safer than illegal drugs (Maxwell 8). All of these reasons as to why teenagers abuse prescription drugs can be remedied if only they and their parents had the correct information and knew the truth.

Parents

     When parents have toddlers in their house, usually they keep all of the powerful cleaning supplies and chemicals either out of reach or hidden away.  With almost two thirds of youths who abuse prescription drugs stealing them from their parents’ medicine cabinets, this same approach should be taken.  Adolescents do not just lose their curiosity as they grow up; they are still interested in the unknown.  Peer pressure and the media are just added forces that make youths fascinated by how these pills can make them feel.  Thus, it is essential that parents are monitoring their medicine and children very carefully.  One simple thing they can do that would make a huge difference is to hide or lock up their medicine.  If children do not have an easy way to obtain prescription drugs, they will be less likely to become addicted to them in the future.  Or, parents can always keep a written inventory of how many pills they have left.  Also, parents should be concerned with how they dispose of old or unused medications.  It is shown that many people hold on to their prescription medications even though they have expired or are no longer needed.  Different drugs need to be thrown out in specific ways, and parents can easily call their pharmacists in order to know the proper way to do so.  Besides from just monitoring their pills, it is imperative that parents also keep a close eye on their children.  There are many signs that point to substance abuse that are clearly observable.  The most noted three are a loss of interest in appearance, sports or social activities, deceitful and secretive behavior, and sudden mood changes (“A Parents’ Guide To…”).  If parents know that they should be cautious of these signs, then they could potentially stop what may escalate into full-blown addiction or even death. 

     Another huge factor that affects whether children will abuse medicine is communication between parents and their children.  A recent study by The Partnership at Drugfree.org revealed that parents are now taking a hands-off approach to prescription drugs, even though there is clear evidence of the magnitude of the epidemic.  Despite the fact that four out of five parents find the time to talk to their children about marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs, only about 15% are as thorough when they talk about prescription drug warnings.  One reason is that parents do not want to talk about these drugs too early and even plant the idea that they can be abused, but 20% of teens in The Partnership Study were under 14 years old when they first tried drugs.  Not only do some parents not talk about it with their children, but also some of them are just as misinformed.  Sixteen percent of parents said they think prescription drugs are safer than street drugs, which is blatantly untrue.  Parents want their children to do the right thing, but it is the parents’ job to first educate both themselves and their children so that their children can make right decisions on their own accord (Sack 1). 

Illegality

     Half of teens justify that their prescription drugs abuse is allowable because they are not criminal.  How can a drug that is prescribed by a certified doctor be illegal?  When doctors prescribe these medicines they are not illegal, but when they are used in a way they were not intended to be or by a completely different person, then that actually is against the law.  Most people do not realize that distributing or selling prescription drugs is in fact a form of drug dealing.  This means that it is just as illegal as selling heroin or cocaine, and results in the same costly fines and jail time.  Even more serious, if this drug dealing results in the death or serious bodily injury of a user, dealers may face a life of imprisonment. 

Safety

     The fact that so many teenagers believe that prescription medicines are safer than illegal drugs is perhaps the most saddening reason as to why they start.  This is because it is flagrantly untrue that they are safer.  The high potency of many of the synthetic drugs that are available as prescription drugs makes the risk of overdose very high.  This is particularly true for the drug Oxycontin and other similar painkillers, where deaths caused by overdose has more than doubled in a five-year timespan (“Prescription Drug Addiction”).

     With about forty-five people dying everyday from opioid prescription painkillers, prescription drugs are clearly not safe when misused (Prescription Drug Addiction…4).  However for teenagers, the top abused prescription drugs are Adderall, Vicodin, and various cold medicines.  Many teenagers justify their use by saying that they do not take lethal amounts of these drugs, so there is nothing to worry about.  Yet, it seems as though they are ignorant of the extreme forces of addiction.  Addiction is particularly dangerous because of how variable it is.  Addiction depends on one’s genes, age, gender and environment.  One person may be able to use a drug many times without having any horrible consequences, while another person may overdose the first time or become addicted after just a couple uses.  Therefore there are only small clues, like family history, that can help to determine how quickly addiction will start.  Still, this is not a very accurate estimate.  Many teenagers will not realize that they are slowly becoming mentally and physically dependent on their drug of choice.

     There are many undesired side effects that happen as addiction begins.  Some are relatively trivial but perhaps uncomfortable such as headaches or irritation of bowels, while some are life threatening such as raised blood pressure or slowed breathing.  Not all side effects are physical, with many people experiencing irritability, short temperedness, or even hallucinations.  Sometimes, people are clear minded enough to realize that they are in fact addicted and want to stop.  However, sometimes it is too late to go down the path of recovery, especially if they do not go about doing so the proper way.  This is because after taking CNS depressants for an extended period of time, stopping cold turkey can have lethal consequences including withdrawal seizures. (Ballantyne 1,949).  That is why we should focus less on how to help people who are addicted, and instead focus on making sure people do not get addicted in the first place. 

     Another big cause for concern regarding addiction is what happens when supply of the drug either becomes scarce or tolerance increases.  Rising dependency on these drugs can cause erratic behavior that may cause users to become panicked and go to drastic means in order to get their fix.  This could mean stealing other people’s prescriptions, going to multiple doctors, forging prescriptions, or buying them off the streets.  Another route that people may take, is buying illegal street drugs that are more prevalent.  According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, heroin use has increased by 75% between 2007 and 2011 and experts link this to prescription opioid abuse.    They explain that young people often become addicted to pain pills and then progress to heroin, which provides the same euphoric high, when their stash runs low.  Despite the fact that addiction runs so rampant in our country, only about 1 in 10 people with a substance abuse disorder receives any form of treatment.  For example, in 2011 21.5 million people over the age of 12 suffered from a substance abuse disorder yet 89.6% went untreated (Ballantyne 1,944).

     Clearly, prescription drugs when misused are nowhere near being safe.  When narcotic pain relievers cause or contribute approximately15,500 deaths annually, it’s clear that there is a horrible problem in our country (Ballantyne 1,945).  For the good of our nation and to ensure that this epidemic does not get any worse than it already is, it is imperative that the population is educated about the issue.

Education

     President of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, Joseph A. Califano Jr., has called for a “major shift in American attitudes about substance abuse and addiction.” (Manchikanti 288).  He observed that while America has congratulated itself for stopping increases in alcohol and illicit drug use and the decline of teen smoking, controlled prescription drugs have been stealthily but sharply rising.   One simple way to curb this increase of prescription drug abuse is through the use of education of the entire American public, especially teenagers, parents, and physicians.  Only 40% of surveyed physicians have received any training in medical school about identifying prescription drug abuse and addiction and only 19% received any medical school training in identifying prescription drug diversion.  If psychologists do not have the knowledge of who’s prone to addiction or the signs of abuse, then they are more likely to prescribe medicine to someone who will misuse it.  Thus it is necessary that more emphasis be put on this very important topic while in medical school.  It should be mandatory for all psychologists to take a class on addiction and safe prescribing techniques. 

     Since most teenagers get their prescription drugs from their family medicine cabinet, it is essential that parents are educated as well.  Parents are not doing enough now because only 1% of parents believed that it was “extremely or very likely” that their own child has tried a prescription pain killer, although 21% of teens have admitted to trying these drugs to get high.  However, it is shown that children who learn about the risk of drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use drugs (Manchikanti 290).  Thus it is essential that parents, along with anyone who is prescribed prescription medicine, be educated about the potential harms and risk for abuse.  Therefore all patients should have to take a mandatory class about these topics if they wish to take these drugs.

     Finally, the ignorance of teenagers of the harmful effects of prescription drug abuse is a major factor contributing to the rise of this medicinal misuse.  Therefore they must learn about these destructive consequences before it’s too late.  This means that prescription drug abuse needs to become a part of the health curriculum.  There are hundreds of videos and documentaries that clearly show the dangers of going down this path, so even if it dissuades just one child from experimenting with prescription drugs, then it would be considered a success.

Conclusion

     It is impossible to ignore the severity of this issue.  Many people are dying from deaths that could easily be prevented.  Thus, actions must be taken.  Educating the public is a great first step and will serve as a foundation.  After this first step, more actions can be implemented such as limiting the prescriptions of these drugs or perhaps trying to find a less harmful alternative.  However, it is most important to first make sure that people understand the true consequences of misusing prescription drugs.  As a country, we need to work together to stop this epidemic before it gets even more deadly.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

Ballantyne JC, Mao J. Opioid therapy for chronic pain. New England Medicine 349:3 (2005): 1943-1953. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.

 

Manchikanti, Laxmaiah. "PrescriPtion Drug Abuse: WhAt Is Being   Done to ADDress This NeW Drug EPiDemic?" Pain Physician 9.4 (2006): 287-321. Pain Physician Journal. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.

 

Maxwell, Jane C. "Trends in the Abuse of Prescription Drugs." Inpharma InPharma 433.1 (2006): 1-14. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.

 

"A Parents' Guide to Understanding Prescription Drug Abuse." RX Safety Matters. PurduePharma, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.

 

"Prescription Drug Addiction - Top 18 Facts for You and Your Family." Drugs. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.

 

Sack, M.D. D. "The Unlikely Force Driving Teen Prescription Drug Addiction: Parents?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 June 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.

 

"The Truth About Prescription Drug Abuse." Foundation For A Drug Free World. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.