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Rx drug abuse is on the rise among teens, forum warns
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By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

March 17, 2006

ESCONDIDO – A single tablet of Vicodin can bring $4 or $5 in junior high and high school.

Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, most often prescribed for attention-deficit disorder, are being taken by teens who feel they help them concentrate and study harder before big tests.

While studies show that the use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine is declining among the nation's youth, abuse of prescription drugs and some over-the-counter medicine is skyrocketing.

Educators, social workers and health professionals got the news yesterday at Prescription for Disaster, a drug forum in Escondido organized by the Palomar Pomerado Health district.

The message: Be aware of the problem. Watch the kids. Look for warning signs.

“We've been told over and over since we were little kids about the evils of cocaine and drugs like that,” one teen said at the forum. “But prescription drugs are something else. (Some kids) think taking prescription drugs is safer than taking illegal drugs.”

According to the Partnership for Drug-Free America, children ages 12 to 17 are the major abusers of prescription drugs and dextromethorphan (DXM), a common ingredient in more than 80 over-the-counter cold and cough medicines.

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Abusers find that doses of cough medicine far exceeding the recommended amount can produce euphoric feelings. Misuse of the drug creates both depressant and mild hallucinogenic effects.

A 2004 study by the nonprofit drug awareness group found teen abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications is higher than or on par with abuse of illicit drugs such as cocaine, Ecstasy and methamphetamine.

The annual report says 1 in 5 teens has abused prescription pain medication, 1 in 10 has abused prescription stimulants or tranquilizers, and 1 in 11 has abused cough medicine.

Vicodin or its generic equivalent, a widely prescribed painkiller, appears to be the most commonly abused drug. Experts say teens may be prescribed Vicodin after spraining a knee or having gum surgery, then will hoard the pills to be sold or taken recreationally later, often in conjunction with alcohol.

John Woo, a special agent with the Department of Justice's San Diego Regional Pharmaceutical Enforcement team, told those at the forum that teens will often steal prescription medications from family members.

“If it's in the medicine cabinet, they'll probably try it,” he said.

Often they'll grind up the pills and snort the granules to obtain a fast high.

“It takes a community to keep these kids safe,” said Sandy Dewees, a registered nurse who works in Palomar Medical Center's emergency room.

She said she has seen the overdoses and the car crashes caused by youth under the influence of prescription drugs.

Judy Strang, director of the San Dieguito Alliance for Drug-Free Youth, said studies have shown that one-third of teens think prescription painkillers aren't addictive. She said the key is to know your children and their friends and neighbors.