Coalitions should feel free to adapt the following slides into their education and outreach activities Heres what youll find About this presentation The Teen Rx Abuse Connection ID: 157924
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Slide1
Preventing Rx Abuse in Your CommunitySlide2
Coalitions
should feel free to adapt
the following
slides into their education and outreach activities. Here’s what you’ll
find:
About this presentation
The Teen – Rx Abuse Connection
Facts & StatsTeen & Adult Attitudes About Rx AbuseOutreach to Teens, Parents, Families & CommunityWant to Learn More?
We have placed relevant source information in the notes section of each slide.
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
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from awareness to actionSlide3
Rx Medications are All Around Us…and Teens Notice
The Teen – Rx Abuse Connection
There’s a “pill for every ill,” and when we go to the doctor due to illness, it’s natural to want to walk out with a prescription!
Direct-to-consumer advertising on TV and in magazines is pervasive.
Many people don’t know how to safely use these medications or ignore their doctor’s instructions
.
Every day, 2000 teens abuse a prescription drug for the first time.
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to actionSlide4
Rx drugs are part of teen culture.
Teens
As a result…
Normalize this form of drug abuse.
Take these meds for legitimate reasons – with or without a prescription – to stay awake, remain alert or to go to sleep.
Purposely abuse these drugs to get high. They participate in “pharming” and “bowling” parties.
Are often unaware that these activities can lead to disastrous results.
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to actionSlide5
that abusing Rx drugs can
Teenagers don’t know
Increase blood pressure or heart rate.
Damage the brain and other organs.
Lead to accidental overdose / poisonings.
Cause physical dependency and / or addiction.
Disrupt breathing (respiratory depression).
Lead to risks associated with mixing multiple drugs or combining with alcohol.Cause seizures and even death.Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to actionSlide6
Facts & Stats
While Rx drugs serve an important purpose when used
under a doctor’s care
, the misuse of
prescription medicines
is a growing, under-recognized problem that puts young lives at risk.
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
- from awareness to actionSlide7
Did you know?
Next to marijuana, the most common illegal drugs teens are abusing are
prescription medicines.
While there continues to be a long-term drop in past-year non-medical use of Rx medicines overall, the increased abuse of prescription stimulants—particularly among
teens and young people—is
a cause of concern.
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
- from awareness to actionSlide8
Teens’ Rx Drugs of Choice For Abuse
How they work
Abused by
teens/young adults
to:
Drug names
Strong pain relievers
Used to relieve moderate-to-severe pain, these medications block pain signals to the brainGet high, increase feelings of well being by affecting the brain regions that mediate pleasureVicodin, OxyContin,Percocet, Lorcet, Lortab, Actiq, Darvon
, codeine, morphine,methadoneStimulantsPrimarily used to treat ADHD type symptoms, these speed up brain activity causing increased alertness, attention, and energy that comes with elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate and breathingFeel alert, focused and full of energy—perhaps around final exams or to manage coursework, lose weight
Adderall
, Dexedrine, Ritalin,
Concerta
Sedatives or tranquilizers
Used to slow down or “depress” the functions of the brain and central nervous system pressure, increased heart rate and breathing
Feel calm, reduce stress, sleep
Valium,
Xanax
,
Ativan
,
Klonopin
,
Restoril
,
Ambien
,
Lunesta
,
Mebaral
, Nembutal, Soma
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
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from awareness to actionSlide9
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to action
Rx Access Points— Friends & Family Source of ConcernSlide10
attitudes about Rx abuse
Teens & Adult
MIXING OVER-THE-COUNTER COLD MEDICATION and someone else's prescription painkillers CAUSED THE DEATH OF MY SON…I could get my hands on prescription medicines AS FAST AS I COULD BUY A PIZZA…the problem IS AS CLOSE AS YOUR MEDICINE CABINET…PART OF ME DIED THAT DAY when my daughter was taken away on a gurney…TEEN RX ABUSE is more than an emerging problem.
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
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from awareness to actionSlide11
Teens say that…
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to action
They abuse these medicines for a variety of reasons: Get high
Treat pain They think it will help them with their school
work
Interestingly, boys and girls tend to abuse some types of prescription drugs for different reasons. Boys are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants to get high, while girls tend to abuse them to stay alert or to lose weight.Slide12
beliefs & attitudes
Parental / Guardian
Many parents aren’t aware of the dangers of Rx
abuse—it’s
just not on their radar screen.
Prescription medicines
can be found in homes of family or friends, and parents don’t realize the connection between teen Rx abuse and easy availability.
Many parents do not know how to effectively talk with their teens about Rx drug abuse.They often find out about an Rx problem when it is too late.Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to actionSlide13
Watch for Physical Warning Signs
Excessive sweating, urination or thirst
Nausea and vomiting
Uncontrollable diarrhea
Spastic shaking
Drowsiness, dizziness and insomnia
Loss of consciousness
Physical dependenceAddiction
EDUCATERx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to actionSlide14
Watch for
Other Warning Signs
Sudden mood changes, including irritability, negative attitude, personality change.
Extreme changes in groups of friends or hangout locations.
Lying or being deceitful, unaccounted time away from home/missed school days, avoiding eye contact.
Losing interest in personal appearance, extracurricular activities or sports.
Poor performance at school.
Borrowing money or having extra cash.Visiting and even purchasing from pro-drug abuse (illegal) web sites.
EDUCATERx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to actionSlide15
COMMUNICATE
Talk to teens about Rx abuse
Teens learn by example. When they see mom, dad, a sibling or grandparent taking a pill – even responsibly – it doesn’t seem so bad.
Many teens report that their parents have the greatest influence on their drug use attitudes and decisions.
Kids who continue to learn about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50% less likely to use drugs than those who are not taught about these dangers.
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
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from awareness to actionSlide16
COMMUNICATE
Talking to teens
“DENORMALIZE” THE BEHAVIOR
While on-average, 2000 teens use prescription drugs without a doctor’s guidance for the first time, many more DO NOT!
DEBUNK
COMMON MYTHS:
Rx abuse is just as dangerous as abusing other substances; it can be addictive; and it’s not OK to misuse these drugs even “once in a while.”PROVIDE CLEAR GUIDELINES If you’re a parent, let teens know you will be disappointed if they abuse Rx medications and watch how you use medicines in front of teens.
GIVE TEENS ESCAPE ROUTES Teach them how to get out of bad situations; and suggest responses they can use when confronted with potential prescription medicine abuse or misuse: “No, thanks – not into it.” “Not today.” “I’m not interested.”Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit -
from awareness to actionSlide17
SAFEGUARD
Keep track of your meds
Parents (and other family members) are in the best position to reduce access
to prescription drugs by locking up medicines and properly disposing of expired
or unused medicines.
Monitor all medications in the home—prescription and OTC medicines.
Safely store medicines out of children’s reach and sight.
Consider locking
them up. Get rid of old or unused medicines.Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit - from awareness to actionSlide18
Guidelines for Rx drug disposal
Follow instructions on the Rx drug label or patient information that comes with the medicine. Never flush medicines down the sink or toilet unless you are instructed to do so.
Take advantage of community drug take-back
programs, including National Drug Take-Back Days. Call
your city or county government's household trash and recycling service
to
see if a take-back program is available in your community.
If neither instructions nor take-back events are accessible, throw the drugs away in the household trash, following these steps: Remove the medicine from its original container and mix it with an undesirable substance (cat litter or used coffee grinds).Place the mixture in a sealed bag, empty can or other container. Before disposing of a medicine container, scratch out all identifying information on the prescription label so it can’t be read.Never give these medicines to others.When in doubt about proper disposal, talk with your pharmacist.
SAFEGUARD
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
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from awareness to actionSlide19
Want to learn more?
COMMUNITY ANTI-DRUG COALITIONS OF AMERICA
www.cadca.org
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF DRUG DIVERSION INVESTIGATORS
www.naddi.org
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON PATIENT INFORMATION AND EDUCATION’S RECOVERY OPENS DOORS
www.recoveryopensdoors.org NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS http://www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages/prescription.html NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL PREVENTING Rx DRUG OVERDOSES http://www.nsc.org/safety_home/PrescriptionDrugOverdoses/Pages/Prescription-Drug-Overdoses.aspxPARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE AMERICA
www.drugfree.org PEERx (NIDA for Teens) http://teens.drugabuse.gov/peerx WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY, PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE
www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/prescription-drug-abuse
Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit
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from awareness to action