Prescriptions

Prescription drug misuse is when someone takes a medication inappropriately. Prescription drug misuse and abuse among young people poses a serious risk.

A common misperception is that prescription drugs are safer or less harmful to the body than other kinds of drugs. However, there is a range of short- and long-term health consequences for each type of prescription drug most often misused by teens:

• Stimulants have side effects in common with meth & cocaine. They may include paranoia, dangerously high body temperatures, and an irregular heartbeat, especially if stimulants are taken in large doses or in ways other than swallowing a pill.
• Opioids, which act on the same parts of the brain as heroin, can cause drowsiness, nausea, constipation, and slowed breathing depending on the amount taken.
• Depressants can cause slurred speech, shallow breathing, fatigue, disorientation, lack of coordination, and seizures upon withdrawal from chronic use.

These impacts can be particularly harmful to a developing adolescent brain and body. Our brains continue to develop until we reach our early- to mid-twenties. During adolescence, the pre-frontal cortex further develops to enable us to set priorities, formulate strategies, allocate attention, and control impulses.

As with any mind-altering drug, prescription drug misuse can affect judgment and inhibition and increases participation in other risky behaviors.

Solutions

Here are several ways to minimize prescription drug misuse and abuse among young people:

• Educate: Talk to your teen and warn them that taking prescription medications without a doctor’s supervision can be just as dangerous and potentially lethal as taking illicit drugs.
• Disposal: Always store prescriptions in a locked location and dispose of unused and expired medications at an approved take-back location or event.
• Monitor: Take an inventory of Rx and OTC medications in your home. Pay attention to quantities.
• Do not share: Understand the legal ramifications of giving your prescribed medication to somebody else.