Teens Sharing Prescription Drugs
Posted on August 3, 2010Parents, teachers and coaches are often challenged by the level of responsibility exhibited by teens under their care, when compared with their expectations. In one particular area, however, a new level of vigilance is required when guiding teens through responsible behavior.
A new report, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, highlights the practice among teens of sharing prescription drugs. Many teens are at risk of experiencing serious side effects or having a health problem go undiagnosed thanks to widespread drug sharing.
Researchers surveyed 592 teenagers between 12 and 17 years old across the United States and discovered that 20 percent reported that they had loaned a prescription drug to a friend. A similar percentage of teens had borrowed drugs.
Among the more common drugs being passed around are allergy drugs and pain relievers, such as narcotics like Oxycontin and Darvocet. Teens are also sharing antibiotics, acne treatments like Accutane and drugs for psychological ailments like depression and anxiety.
About three-quarters of teens borrowed drugs from a friend or relative in lieu of an appointment with a doctor, thus self-diagnosing and then self-prescribing an uninformed solution for their ailment. Some of the teens did eventually see a doctor, but 40 percent of them failed to tell the doctor about the borrowed medication.
Teens reported that in many cases the borrowed medications had no written instructions for safe dosage. Over a third of the teens who borrowed prescriptions experienced a problem with the drug, such as an allergic reaction or another type of side effect.
Teens did not invent the practice of sharing medication. In fact, previous research has reported that close to 40 percent of adults have loaned prescription drugs to a family member or friend.
As Dr. Richard Goldsworthy of Academic Edge, Inc., in Bloomington, Indiana said in a written statement, this is the first time that adolescents have been asked about their sharing of prescription drugs.
The findings show the widespread nature of prescription sharing among teens. The study may encourage doctors to have conversations with teenagers about the importance of taking prescriptions only under the supervision of a doctor. Once a teenager is educated about the dangers of sharing prescription drugs, they may think twice about being casual with prescription drugs.
Researchers are also encouraging the possibility of including drug-sharing warnings on the packaging for prescriptions. A warning on the packaging may catch the attention of someone reaching for a medication to share with a friend or family member and cause them to reconsider.
