Prescription medicines can somehow be helpful if taken as per the guidelines—prescription drugs may avert, treat, and remedy illnesses. However, when users consume them with the negligence or exemption of a directive or abuse, their effect might be drastic and cause severe psychological and physical health complications. Regarding a NIDA’s report, prescription medicine abuse and misuse is a scenario whereby one consumes a medication inappropriately—with the exemption of a well-designed prescription. Regrettably, recommendation medicine abuse among teenagers is never a trivial concern. Approximately 5,700 teens abused prescription painkillers in 2014 (SAMHSA, NSDUH, 2022). Various youths misuse prescription drugs for several reasons—encompassing the thought that Rx stimulants can aid better study progresses.
Recently, there has been a rising population of American teens utilizing recommendation pills for varied purposes—some adolescents use them to get high. Prescription drug misuse has been habitual in various communities and every part of the globe. Research has shown that there are new drug abusers (University of Rochester Medical Center, 2022); unfortunately, young teens (ages ranging from 12 to beyond) abuse recommended drugs more than any illegitimate substance. SAMHSA’s report (2022) also supports some of the rapidly-developing drug issues in the U.S. are never heroin, methamphetamines, or cocaine; their prescription medicines are at the top, and their impact on the lives of adolescents has been saddening. Thus, this article intends to provide various readers with the reasons teens abuse prescription drugs like Rx simulant and how such drug misuse negatively influences their lives, including solutions; how the abuse of recommended medicines can be resolved.
Reasons why teenagers abuse prescription drugs
Some individuals misuse prescription medicines due to the miss-placed notion that the drugs might assist them in getting high, fitting in, losing weight, having fun, or studying better (McCabe et al., 2019). Prescription medicines are more accessible than street drugs; thus, ease of access enhances their usage among teens. They are occasionally traded in the open market, including streets; they find their way in the streets just like the illegal drugs. In a survey conducted in 2017, the probability of finding a teenager who had once abused prescription medicine was one against seven (CDC, 2021). However, recommendation medicines can only be secure for individuals with their outlined consumer guidelines. A doctor examines someone and then recommends a drug for them due to their medical conditions that require a drug. The provided doctor’s prescriptions are precise and inform the user on the appropriate method or time for consumption; the guidelines also encompass various things that a drug user must avert when under medication. The consumers are similarly offered the side effects, and the pharmacist may play a significant oversight role for their patients to alleviate more complications during medication.
Various prescription drugs that are commonly misused or abused
The frequently abused prescription drugs can be categorized into three. One of the classes is central nervous system (CNS) sedatives—it is composed of diazepam (valium), phenobarbital (luminal), and alprazolam (Xanax). Some of their medical applications are the treatment of anxiety, panic attacks, tension, and sleep disorders. Their work is to lessen the rate of brain activity by surging the operation of a neurotransmitter.
Another category is opioids. They include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin), and meperidine (Demerol). Some of their medical applications treat coughs or pain, or diarrhea. They operate by attaching themselves to the central nervous system’s receptors (Kerrigan & Goldberger, 2020), thus inhibiting pain receptors from receiving information. The third category is stimulants, including dextroamphetamine/ amphetamine and methylphenidate (Ritalin). Prescription drugs are typically used in treating ADHD and narcolepsy. They work by enhancing brain activity and improving attention, energy, and alertness.
Dangers/ Effects of prescription drug abuse
There has been a catastrophic loss of celebrities or athletes to a substance or alcohol-associated death. It is because drug interactions appear as one of the deadliest death causes. Death resulting from a prescription drug may be related to mixing recommended drugs with others (illicit or legal), over-the-counter drugs, alcohol, or herbal supplements. Drug-to-drug interfaces can contribute immensely to drug-associated deaths (Dietze & Peacock, 2020). For instance, using many central nervous system sedatives like hypnotics, opioid pain relievers, alcohol, or depressants can result in accidental overdose because of sternly dejected breathing. When one abuses a drug, no matter the class, there is a likely chance they may be a victim of an accident, commit an offence, or be an object of a crime. Utilizing recommended medicines for the wrong purposes has grave perils for an individual’s health, just like abusing other drugs (Dietze & Peacock, 2020).
Abusing opioids, for instance, may result in mood variations, vomiting, reduced capacity to think—a cognitive function—and even dwindled respiratory operation, death or coma. Such jeopardy is higher when recommended medicines such as oxycodone are consumed with other drugs like antihistamines, alcohol, and CNS sedatives. The later Juice WRLD (Jarad Higgins) case is a good case study. The famous music artist is reported to have died due to the abuse of oxycodone. He is an example of youths known globally to have died because of prescription drug misuse. Horton (2021) reports that Juice WRLD went into an irreversible coma due to accidental overuse of codeine and oxycodone soon after landing at Midway airport, Chicago. After celebrating his twenty-first birthday, the rapper died immediately, about a week. Jarad Higgins seemed helpless at the time of demise. He once confessed to being under the influence of prescription drugs (Horton, 2021); it was an addiction that he suffered, constituted by the background pain and challenges he must be undergoing at the time of life experience and trying to control the power of fame. One of the songs once released by Juice WRLD can justify such a claim. In a song titled “Wishing well,” Juice WRLD revealed how much he was suffocating in his battle with drugs. One of the stanzas, Juice WRLD, sings:
“I can’t breathe, I’m waiting for the exhale; toss my pain with wishes in a wishing well; still no luck, but oh well, I still try even though I know I’m gon’ fail; stress on my shoulders like an anvil, perky got me itching like an anthill; drugs killing me softly, Lauryn Hill sometimes I don’t know how to feel.”
The information from such lines illustrates how the former trap hit-maker is suffering in silence and could only unveil his feelings on stage. He realized that he could not fix his addiction and cried aloud for help.
Statistics show that CNS sedatives and opioids are highly abused and have similarly caused deaths among celebrities. CNS depressants, when abused, cause an abrupt reduction or stop functioning, leading to seizures. Consuming CNS sedatives and other drugs like recommended pain relievers, alcohol, some over-the-counter allergy, and cold medicines may inhibit one’s heart rate and cause failure in breathing—and sometimes result in death. For example, Lil Peep (Swedish-American rapper) is another case example whose death is associated with opioid overdoes. The victim died as a youth, 21years old. There are claims that he died on a tour bus in Tucson (Arizona) 2017 in November. The musician had just celebrated his twenty-first birthday. The former artist was moving up the ladder in the music industry, mainly trap world—he had a specific brand of bosom, emo-peppered rap was provoking good dire comparisons to Kurt Cobain and trajecting him up the trap billboards (Bernstein & Wang, 2019). The former trap artist is claimed to have died due to a fentanyl and Xanax overdose (Bernstein & Wang, 2019). There are also allegations that the former artist was undergoing pressure from his employer (First Access Entertainment). The former artiste’s mother claims that Lil Peep died due to tragic incidences—there were many contract breaches—the employer breached their contract with the late on several counts (Bernstein & Wang, 2019). Consequently, Lil Peep must have been trying to control his pain by using pain relievers to calm his stress (Bernstein & Wang, 2019).
There are also several other cases of death related to prescription drug abuse. Besides, stimulant misuse—such as certain ADHD medicines—can lead to seizures or heart failure. The perils are enhanced when stimulants are combined with other drugs. Excessive stimulants might cause a severely surged and abnormal body temperature or an asymmetrical heart rate. Drug overdose for a short time can make an individual paranoid or aggressive. Stimulant misuse may make users become drug addicts. Mixing prescription, illegal or over-the-counter drugs may be hazardous, and patients must permanently alleviate the chances or action of drug inter-relations with their medical caregivers. Applying medications with illicit substances or alcohol may cause an unanticipated and severe response, and several deaths might continue to emerge because of such scenarios. However, such situations are preventable if individuals take responsibility and commit to obeying the doctor’s guidelines whenever they take their medications.
Recommendations/ Solutions
Education programs based on the appropriate usage of prescription drugs can help society. One in every four teens believes that recommended drugs may be utilized to aid study. Almost a third of parents also suggest that attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs are good at enhancing an apprentice’s academic performance (SAMHSA, 2022). Therefore, children, medical prescribers, and parents should be informed about the side effects of prescription medications on the growing brain (SAMHSA, 2022).
Safe disposal and storage of medication are sound. About two-thirds of teenagers who have once abused painkillers allege that they received the drugs from friends or families, encompassing their household’s medicine storage compartments. It, thus, develops the purpose of securing medicines in the home setting (SAMHSA, 2022). Secured storage and dumping of drugs lessen the chances of ease of admittance.
It is also essential to conduct prescription medication supervision frequently. Several individuals are requesting pharmacists and doctors to help them observe how medications are often prescribed (SAMHSA, 2022). Medical practitioners provide prescription pain relievers more than they did for the past ten years (SAMHSA, 2022). According to some scholars and researchers, doctors never frequently monitor prescription medication registries, which assist in recognizing potential over-recommending and abuse (SAMHSA, 2022).
Conclusively, teen drug usage and abuse are considered a concern for society to reduce fatal cases like in the past. Thus, providing education to parents and teenagers regarding drug misuse may be handy in lessening the rates of prescription drug abuse. Teens should also reach various essential health websites like NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse to receive vital information on improper prescription drugs. However, parents must still play a significant role in guiding teens and helping them with the side effects of prescription drugs when overused.
References
Bernstein, J. & Wang, A. X. (2019). What the Messy Legal Battle Over Lil Peep’s Death Reveals. Rolling-Stone. Retrieved from: https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/lil-peep-death-lawsuit-first-access-entertainment-932575/
Dietze, P. M., & Peacock, A. (2020). Illicit drug use and harms in Australia in the context of COVID‐19 and associated restrictions: Anticipated consequences and initial responses. Drug and alcohol review, 39(4), 297.
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (20221). Understanding the Epidemic: Drug overdose. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html
Horton, A. (December 2021). ‘I wanted to show what happened: the tragic story of Juice WRLD. The Guardian. Retrieved from:
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/15/juice-wrld-tragic-story-documentary#:~:text=In%20the%20early%20hours%20of,landing%20at%20Chicago’s%20Midway%20airport
Kerrigan, S., & Goldberger, B. A. (2020). Opioids. In Principles of forensic toxicology (pp. 347-369). Springer, Cham.
McCabe, S. E., Veliz, P., Wilens, T. E., West, B. T., Schepis, T. S., Ford, J. A., … & Boyd, C. J. (2019). Sources of nonmedical prescription drug misuse among U.S. high school seniors: Differences in motives and substance use behaviours. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(7), 681-691.
Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2022). Rise in Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Impacting Teens. U.S. department of NIH. Retrieved from: https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources/hpr-resources/rise-prescription-drug-misuse-abuse-impacting-teens
University of Rochester Medical Center (2022). Teens and Prescription Medicines. Health Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=4240
Others Sources:
https://archives.drugabuse.gov/trends-statistics/abuse-prescription-rx-drugs-affects-young-adults-most
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/prescription-drug-abuse.html
write