The drugs of choice among teens are no longer street drugs like marijuana, cocaine, or LSD.

While some teens still use these drugs, many more abuse drugs that don’t carry the same stigma, and are easier to get, BUT provide the same type of high—prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

Confused? Wondering how something that a doctor prescribes to patients can be so bad?

Prescription and OTC drugs are very effective when people follow proper dosages and are supervised by a medical doctor.

However, there is a new and disturbing trend parents need to know about.

Some teens are abusing prescription and OTC drugs, intentionally, to get high. And these drugs can be just as addictive as illegal drugs, like marijuana, cocaine, and LSD.

This is not a problem to ignore, because you think prescription or OTC drugs are safe. They are only safe when used properly. When teens intentionally abuse these drugs to get high, it’s not just a couple of pills or an extra swig of cough syrup.

In some cases, teens are ingesting anywhere from a few pills to dozens or more a day, or drinking up to 3-5 bottles of cough syrup a day, or mixing them with alcohol.

Taking prescription drugs without a doctor’s approval and supervision can be a dangerous — even deadly — decision.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), almost half (48%) of all emergency department visits resulting from overdoses from an ingredient found in many cough syrups, dextromethorphan (DXM), were patients 12-20 years-old.

In addition, some teens in cities across the country get together and “party” with prescription and OTC drugs. “Pharming,” as this alarming behavior is often referred to, describes grabbing a handful of prescription drugs and swallowing some or all of them, often with alcohol.

Some of these young people are taking pills from the family medicine cabinet or ordering them online from illegal pharmacies (among other places) and giving them to their friends at school.

What they don’t realize is that ingesting a mix of known or unknown drugs, especially in high dosages, is always dangerous and sometimes fatal.
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For additional information and links, see the AntiDrug site.