Prescription Drug Use by Teens

Today more teens in America and around the world are abusing prescription drugs. According to a recent study reported on by Theantidrug.com, there has been a 300 percent increase in teenage prescription drug addicts since 1995. In 2006, over 2.1 million teenagers from the age of 12 to 17 were abusing some kind of prescription drug regularly.

The nost common type of prescription drug abuse is of painkillers, which may be prescribed to a teen after some injury or an accident. These include codeine, fentanyl, morphine, hydrocodone (Vicodin) and oxycodone (Oxycontin and Percocet). In the process of alleviating pain, painkillers relax muscles and make us temporarily feel better. But these drugs can be addictive to the extent that the person may start to feel unable to even stand without taking them.

Some teenagers are also abusing anti-depressant drugs, which are generally prescribed to cure anxiety and sleep loss. If taken for a long time, these drugs are known to be very addictive, plus many teenagers take them as mood enhancers on a recreational basis. Stimulant drugs which are prescribed for the patients with attention deficit disorders such as ADHD have also become an abused drug. If taken by a healthy person, ADHD drugs act like caffeine and give the person immense stamina and a high degree of agitation. But these drugs can be highly dangerous, especially if they get mixed with some other type of medication. Steroids is another class of prescription drug that is often abused by teens.

Peer pressure is a major issue in this age, and many teens feel compelled to do things their friends are trying. The stress of performance and academic studies are also making some teenagers turn to these drugs.