Preventing Rx Abuse in Your Community
About this presentation
Coalitions should feel free to adapt the following slides into their education
and outreach activities. Here’s what you’ll find:
1. The Teen – Rx Abuse Connection
2. Facts & Stats
3. Teen & Adult Attitudes About Rx Abuse
4. Outreach to Teens, Parents, Families & Community
5. Want to Learn More?
We have placed relevant source information in the notes section of each slide.
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
The Teen – Rx Abuse
Connection
Rx Medications are All Around Us…and Teens Notice
 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 action
As a result…
Rx drugs are part of teen culture. Teens
 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 action
Teenagers don’t know
that abusing Rx drugs can
 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 action
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 action
 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.
Did you know?
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
Teens’ Rx Drugs of Choice For Abuse
How they work
Abused by
teens/young adults
to:
Drug names
Strong pain
relievers
Used to relieve moderateto-severe pain, these
medications block pain
signals to the brain
Get high, increase feelings
of well being by affecting
the brain regions that
mediate pleasure
Vicodin, OxyContin,
Percocet, Lorcet,
Lortab, Actiq, Darvon,
codeine, morphine,
methadone
Stimulants
Primarily 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
breathing
Feel 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 - from awareness to action
Rx Access Points—
Friends & Family Source of Concern
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
Teens & Adult
attitudes about Rx abuse
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 - from awareness to action
Teens say that…
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.
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
Parental / Guardian
beliefs & attitudes
 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 action
EDUCATE
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 dependence
 Addiction
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
EDUCATE
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.
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
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 - from awareness to action
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 action
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 action
SAFEGUARD
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:
1. Remove the medicine from its original container and mix it with an undesirable substance (cat
2.
3.
4.
5.
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.
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
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.aspx
PARTNERSHIP 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 - from awareness to action