Medicine Abuse Awareness

The good news is that teens are turning away from street drugs. While this is true, there’s a new threat from the family medicine cabinet – the abuse of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2008, there were 2.5 million people, aged 12 or older who used prescription medicines non-medically for the first time within the past year, averaging out to around 7,000 new users per day. And according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Monitoring the Future Survey, 4 percent of 8th graders, 5 percent of 10th graders, and 7 percent of 12th graders reported having abused medicines containing the cough suppressant DXM in 2005 to get high. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that one in 10 teenagers – or about 2.4 million young people –reported having abused cough medicine to get high.

Parents and caregivers are the first line of defense in addressing these troubling trends. That’s where community coalitions come in. CADCA and its partner, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), have been instrumental in creating and developing prevention and intervention activities and materials that help community coalitions address Rx and OTC drug abuse. We recommend that coalitions:

• Support National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month: In 2009, the U.S. Senate designated October as National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month. This came after recent studies unveiled escalating rates of prescription drug abuse and high rates of dextromethorphan (DXM - the active ingredient in OTC cough medicine) abuse among young people. Parents and stakeholders are encouraged to educate themselves and talk to their teens about the dangers associated with medicine abuse.
• Convene town hall meetings: Even though National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month is in August, don’t wait to educate your community about this growing problem. Convene discussions now with your local anti-drug abuse advocates, substance abuse treatment experts, healthcare professionals and policy makers to talk about the facts and craft prevention and intervention strategies.
• Obtain and integrate materials from:
  • www.StopMedicineAbuse.org and the Dose of Prevention Toolkit to address OTC drug abuse in your community.
  • CADCA’s Teen Prescription Drug Abuse: An Emerging Threat (Strategizer 52).
  • The Office of National Drug Control Policy’s, Parents. The Anti-Drug web site. You’ll find drug information; parenting advice; signs and symptoms (Is your teen using?); resources; news; and partner information.
  • An informational video about cough medicine abuse