Childhood
Prescription Abuse Most Often Begins at Home Frank
Barnhill M.D.
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Childhood
Prescription Abuse Most Often Begins at Home Frank
Barnhill M.D. |
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I don’t think it would surprise many parents to discover their pre-teen or teenage son or daughter had swiped medicines intended for other family members from the kitchen or bathroom medicine cabinets. Even though illicit street-drug, alcohol and tobacco use by children in the United States has reportedly decreased over the past ten years, it appears misuse of prescription drugs with the potential for addiction is on the increase. In a study published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, doctors at the Yale University School of Medicine analyzed data from 2005 and 2006 from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to define differences in prescription drug misuse by adolescents based on the misuser’s sex, ethnic background and severity of use. In the study, Dr. Ty Schepis and Dr. Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin found that nearly 50% of all adolescent misused addicting prescription medications (ADHD stimulants, narcotics, tranquillizers, anxiety medications) were obtained free from family members, friends or by the abusing child. When misused drugs were compared, the following trends were noted for pain medications: · Females were more likely to steal or obtain pills for free · Males were more likely to purchase misused medications or obtain them from a doctor · White American teens usually purchased pain pills from friends, family or dealers · Black American teenagers were more likely to misuse or abuse pain pills obtained from a doctor The overwhelming implication in these findings is that the misuse of potentially addicting prescription medications stolen from your home may cause your child or teen to abuse and become addicted to illegal street drugs and other substances. How easy would it be for your pre-teen or teenager to get pain killers, nerve pills and sedatives from your cabinets? Maybe it’s time to clean out unused pills and throw them away. You just might prevent the destruction of a life! What if you already suspect your teen may be abusing prescription drugs? Here are just a few of the many things you should look for: · problems concentrating and finishing tasks · difficulty sleeping · problems staying awake · irritability or anxiety · mood swings In fact, prescription drug abuse is another one of my pet Zebras that just might be mistaken for ADHD and cause a child to be wrongfully treated for ADHD. (Zebras are defined as medical problems that often go undetected while hiding right in front of you!) For more information on Zebras, ADHD misdiagnosis and teen drug abuse, please visit my website ADHDbehavior.com. Dr. Frank Reference: Journal of The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2009; 48:828-836 |
These health tips are offered for your common sense use and are not intended to take the place of a visit to your doctor. Your use of the materials implies your understanding that nothing herein contained represents individual medical advice. drhuggiebear, drhuggiebear.com and contained materials are the copyrighted and/or registered properties of Frank Barnhill, M.D. and may not be reproduced for profit without the express written permission of the author. All materials may be photocopied in whole for educational use. For information please contact us at drfrank@drhuggiebear.com. |
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