Prescription Drug Abuse Among Teens

Abuse of prescription drugs has increased over the last ten years among teens and young adults, prescription drugs have become the second most abused illegal drug, behind marijuana. Even though abuse of prescriptions drugs among teens is low compared to marijuana, prescription drugs abuse is a rising drug abuse concern as a most teens using prescription drugs consider it to be safer than other illegal drugs and most parents are not aware of the problem.

Here are some facts about prescription drug abuse among teens:

- Nowadays, there are just as many new abusers of prescription drugs as there are for marijuana.
-Three percent or 840,000 teens between 12 and 17 years old had been reported as being abuser of prescription drugs by 2005.
- Teens aged from 12 to 17 have the second-highest annual rates of prescription drug abuse after young adults aged from 18 to 25.

Pain relievers are currently the most abused type of prescription drugs by teens as they are one of the most accessible drugs. They are followed by stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives. Vicodin and OxyContin are commonly used by high school students who abuse of prescription drugs.

Nearly half of teens who use prescription drugs say they get them for free from a relative or friend. Ten percent say they buy pain relievers from a friend or relative, and another 10 percent say they took the drugs without asking. The majority of teens agree that prescription drugs are easier to get than illegal drugs.

Because prescription drugs are intended to treat diseases and other health conditions, the side effect for prescription drugs abuse can vary from a drug to another. For example abusing Stimulants can cause heart failure or seizures. Tranquilizers have direct effects on brain areas, it has similar to alcohol and its side effect can be very severe including fast heartbeat, insomnia, sweating, anxiety, agitation and can also cause death if intoxicated.