Searcy (LP) Teens are getting more and more access to prescription drugs. According to National Institute on drug abuse states, “Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than as prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited. According to several national surveys, prescription medications, such as those used to treat pain, attention deficit disorders, and anxiety, are being abused at a rate second only to marijuana among illicit drug users. The consequences of this abuse have been steadily worsening, reflected in increased treatment admissions, emergency room visits, and overdose deaths.” Common abused prescriptions include opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants. Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Opioids are most often used medically to relieve pain. Central Nervous system depressants treat anxiety, acute stress reactions, and panic attacks, and some sleeping disorders. Stimulants are psychoactive drugs that induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical functions or both.
Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others.
Prescription drugs are becoming and epodemic across the United States. Opioids addiction grew more than 400% in the ending decade in 2008. One out of a hundred get treatment.
Some opioid drugs that are commonly abused among teens are Hydrocodone, OxyContin, Demerol. Central Nervous system depressants include Benzodiazepines, Xanax, Valium, and Estazolam. Some stimulants Adderall, Ritalin, Methylphenidate, and Concerta. Although prescription abuse is not rare among high schoolers the percentage is kinda schooling. Adderall is abused at 7.5%, snus medication is at 5.8%, Ritalin at 2.0%, Oxycontin at 3.7%, and cough medicine, known as “Lean”, at 4.6%.
Officer Davis stated in an interview, “Some signs high schoolers are abusing prescription drugs are not feeling normal pain levels, drowsy and confused, nausea, constipation, pupils constricted, nodding off, and breathing unnaturally slow. If they just stop using these drugs their body is used to it or dependent on the drug so they will go through withdrawal symptoms like muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, and chills for serval days.” Also other things to look for in an abusers is withdrawn from family and friends, no interest, hostile, angry and their sleep schedule will be off.
Hydrocodone and other opioids analgesic were involved in about three out of four pharmaceutical overdose deaths, thats 16,651 out of 22,134 people. They accounted for about 60% of 38,329 in the United States on drug overdose in 2010, and it has only increased since. Prescriptions are not things to mess with. Over use can cause addiction or for the medication not to even work in the future. They have so many long term effects if overdosing. Memory loss, speech impediments, and some times brain damage or the risk of being paralyzed. Always listen to instructions from the doctor, it is in the best interest for your body.
