The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hosts National Prevention Week each May so schools can participate in prevention-themed activities before summer, when substance misuse escalates. The Youth Council of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County is participating by writing blog posts this week. The NPW week focus for Wednesday, May 18 is Prevention of Prescription & Opioid Drug Misuse.
“It’s from your doctor. So what if you take more pills than he prescribes you?”
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Too often teenagers ignore the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. They argue that they are less dangerous than “real drugs” and that they can be legally consumed because they come from legal sources. However, these are misconceptions. While these drugs may be easily accessible, they have the same potential for harm. What these victims fail to realize is that more people die from prescription drug overdoses than traffic accidents in the United States.
So what is this stigma behind prescription drugs? Most teens believe there is less shame attached to using drugs prescribed by a medical professional. Prescription drugs are easy to access through a friend, and many believe they have fewer side effects than street drugs. Many know individuals who buy or sell prescription drugs and say, “they aren’t dangerous, they're fine,” with an added shrug or scoff.
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But despite what your neighborhood drug dealer wants you to believe, all drugs come with a side effect, and the consequences of abusing prescription drugs can be deadly.
Without a prescription developed by knowledgeable medical professionals, these drugs can be easy to overdose on. They are made for the specific height, weight and lifestyle of a person, and it is therefore dangerous to take medication not prescribed for you. If a teenage girl takes the drugs prescribed for a 20-year-old man -- who will certainly differ from her lifestyle and body type -- things can go awry very quickly. Even if prescription medication is taken as prescribed, deadly effects may result from taking them with alcohol or other substances.
If these drugs are so dangerous, why are they remarkably commonplace? Many teens get their wisdom teeth pulled, which involves receiving an ample supply of painkillers. Although legal, these painkillers can invoke a high comparable to that from other drugs.
Personally, we have seen a fellow classmate drive up to school high on oxycodone. While the drugs he received were prescribed by a doctor, his misunderstanding of his capabilities while under the influence of the medication put him and others on the road in danger. These drugs aren’t just readily accessible; they are put into our hands with only the fine print to act as a warning.
Many athletes in high school abuse prescription painkillers. As fans, we witness injuries that occur in practices and games. These injured student athletes seek treatment and receive doctor-prescribed medications such as prescription opioids to relieve their pain. When taken as prescribed, these medications are safe; but when abused, they can be highly addictive and dangerous— even deadly.
After becoming dependent on their pills to subside the pain, student athletes realize they don’t feel the same when they stop taking them. Once they run out of them, they experience withdrawal symptoms — anxiety, fatigue, sweating, vomiting, depression, seizures, and hallucinations. These physical and mental symptoms can make teens feel like they have to continue using to feel better.
Eventually, these drugs take over your wallet with high prices to get your next fix. They can also take over your habits, as you try to continue with a permanent handicap resulting from drug abuse, and your social life by ruining relationships. These deceptively dangerous pills can even take your life.
Prescription opioids also are a leading factor in heroin abuse. The two most commonly abused pain medications are Oxycontin and Vicodin. Abuse of these drugs, when taken in ways other than prescribed, can have effects similar to heroin and be a first step toward heroin use. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly half of young people who inject heroin reported abusing prescription opioids before starting use of heroin. Many individuals reported that heroin was cheaper and easier to obtain than prescription opioids.
Prescription drug abuse is truly a serious public health matter, and is a growing issue among teens. You can protect yourself and combat this deadly trend by raising awareness among your friends and family. Prescription drug abuse IS drug abuse, period.
Helpful Links about Prescription Drugs:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/prescription-drugs/director
UPC Fact Card on Prescription Medicine Abuse here.
Learn more about REVIVE!, the Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education program for the Commonwealth of Virginia here.
The authors are juniors at Hayfield High School and members of the Youth Council of the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County.
The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County is a nonprofit organization with more than 60 community partners working together to keep youth and young adults safe and drug-free. Visit http://www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org andhttp://www.facebook.com/unifiedpreventioncoalition. Follow the group on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/keepyouthsafe.
