In the News - March 2010
Campaign to launch fight against teen prescription drug abuse
LITTLE ROCK - Nearly a quarter of Arkansas high school students say they've
abused prescription drugs by the time they're seniors and health experts say
communications and vigilance are the best means to reduce the abuse rate.
On March 12, the Arkansas Youth Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Campaign,
which includes the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, will launch a
statewide campaign to raise awareness of the issue.
"Many teenagers - and adults - think because medicines are legal, it's safe
for anyone to take, whether the prescription is for them or not," said Margaret
Harris, Ph.D., assistant professor of health with the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture.
According to the 2008 Arkansas Present Needs Assessment, by the time Arkansas
high school students have reached their senior year, 22 percent have abused
prescription drugs. The same source found that Arkansas sixth-graders abuse more
prescription drugs than any other substance except alcohol and cigarettes.
Prescription drugs are easily accessible in the family medicine cabinet and 1
in 3 teens thinks there's nothing wrong with using prescription drugs every once
in a while, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
"Some adults may even give their family members prescriptions like cough
syrup with codeine or a muscle relaxer without it being prescribed for them,"
she said. "This tells a child it is OK, when it is not only wrong but also
harmful."
Some of the most often abused medicines are painkillers, as well as others
such as anti-anxiety pills and treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, also known as ADHD, which also have a hunger-suppressant some
teenagers use to keep from gaining weight. These drugs may be left over from a
grandparent's surgery, used by a parent during a particularly stressful time, or
taken each day by a sibling. Other legal drugs teenagers may abuse come over the
counter and include cough syrup, diet pills and laxatives.
"It is hard to be a teenager," Harris said. "With the added burden of stress
these days, teenagers are not only abusing prescription for recreation or to fit
in, but they are using them to manage their lives for reasons such as lowering
stress and anxiety, boost their mood, do better in sports or even be able to
stay up longer studying for exams.
"Some prescription drugs are also an easy source of making money when sold to
others and they're easier to hide than illicit drugs," she said.
Monitor, secure and dispose to keep children from taking medication:
- Keep track of how much medicine is in the home.
- Secure medicine like other valuables, preferably locking it up
and keeping out of sight.
- Clean cabinets of medicines that are no longer needed, used or
have passed their expiration dates.
- Over-the-counter and prescription drugs can be disposed by
putting them in a zip-top plastic bag, mixing with water or vinegar
and an undesirable substance such as coffee grounds or cat litter
and then throwing them away.
- Some controlled substances need to be flushed down the toilet
(See the www.fda.gov for the list).
"You can also check with your local police department to see if they have a
take-back program," Harris said.
For more information about using medicines safely with children and teens,
contact your county extension agent or visit our partners' website
www.talkaboutrx.org,
www.bemedwise.org,
http://ioit2me.com,
and
http://www.arfamilies.org/health_nutrition/podcasts/
UseMedicinesWisely_video_audio.htm.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability,
marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
March 5, 2010
By Kelli Reep
For the U of A Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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