I hear that prescription drugs are being abused by some students. How can parents help prevent this? (And, how are kids getting these drugs anyway?)

You have heard correctly! It has become a recent trend for kids to raid medicine cabinets in search of what they call "pharmies". I am sure that many of you have seen news stories about the popularity of the painkiller “Oxycontin” that is being abused for recreational purposes. While that is a major concern because of the drug’s high overdose potential when not taken as prescribed, there are many other "pharmies" that are highly sought out as well.

The first important point to understand is that when students abuse prescription medication, they are not taking the dose that a physician would prescribe. Typically, they will take higher quantities of the medication, and will crush it and snort it. (This route of administration greatly affects the intensity of the high!) Another complicating factor happens when kids mix drugs, which they do! When a doctor prescribes a painkiller, it comes with a warning that states “Do not drink alcohol because it will intensify the effects of the medication.” Do you get where I am going with this? Most kids who abuse "pharmies" will not only snort them and take higher doses, but will intentionally mix them with alcohol in order to get a “better” high. (Note: It is not by accident that I am omitting the specific names of prescription drugs that kids seek. Painkillers are only one type of “pharmies” that are being abused; however, the last thing that I want to do is give kids a list of NEW drugs to check out!)

As for how they get it. Many of the drugs that students seek are in their parents’ medicine cabinets, or at the houses of places they baby-sit or visit. I have even known kids who will fabricate some symptoms in order to get the doctor to write them a prescription. There are also the oh-so-helpful drug dealers who can pretty much get their hands on whatever the market dictates. Supply and demand, you know! As parents, you should be aware that students are using “pharmies” and take appropriate precautions to safeguard the medicines in your house. Yes, this means locking them up! (The drugs, not the kids…)