Transcript Slide 1

(Your name)
(date)
Generation Rx – keep your family safe
There’s a reason for the prescription
When
sharing
isn’t caring.
America’s biggest drug problem
isn’t on the streets…
…it’s in our
medicine
cabinets.
Prescription medication abuse – on the rise
• Between 6 and 7 million Americans have abused
prescription medications in the past month.
• Everyday, approximately 2,700 young people
between 12 and 17 years of age abuse a prescription
painkiller for the first time.
• Four out of the top five drugs abused by
12th graders are prescription medications
Case Report
Julia is a 16 year-old at your school. She does well
in her classes and has a lot of friends. She wants
to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Julia is
involved with after-school activities and just got a
well-paying job babysitting. She is excited
because she just got a new car and her parents
are letting her drive it to prom next week.
Case Report, cont.
A few days ago, Julia attended a party at a friend’s
house. Alcohol and prescription medications were
available at the party and several of Julia’s friends
were experimenting, or “pharming” with the pills.
Julia’s friends who were “pharming” did not know
the names of the medications they were taking;
they were waiting to see what would happen when
they took a few pills at a time and chased them
with alcohol.
Case Report, cont.
One of Julia’s friends asked her if she wanted to
take a few pills and “chase it with a beer.” She
grabbed a few pills and swallowed them with
alcohol.
What happened next?
Example of frequently abused
prescription medications
Painkillers
OxyContin®, Vicodin®
Sedatives & tranquilizers
Valium®, Xanax®
Stimulants
Adderall®, Ritalin®
Other medications frequently found in
medicine cabinets are for:
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High blood pressure
Diabetes
Infections
Supplement use (i.e., vitamins)
Cough and Cold
Headache/Fever
Heartburn/Upset Stomach/Diarrhea
Which pills did Julia take?
All medications have side effects
Examples can include:
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Headache
Upset stomach
Drowsiness
Anxiety
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Loss of bladder/bowel
function
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Unconsciousness
Addiction
Cardiac arrest
Respiratory arrest
Seizure
Coma
Death
What will happen to Julia?
Signs of prescription drug abuse
• Complaining of vague symptoms to get more medication
• Lack of interest in treatment options other than
medications
• Mood swings
• Seeing several doctors/visiting several pharmacies to get
more pills
• Past history of addiction
• On and off relief from anxiety
• Using more than what is prescribed
• Using prescription pills prescribed for someone else
Warning Signs of Commonly Abused
Prescription Drugs
• Depressants (including Vicodin, Xanax, Valium, etc.):
Contracted pupils; drunk-like; difficulty concentrating;
clumsiness; poor judgment; slurred speech; sleepiness.
• Pain Medication (OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin): drunklike; difficulty concentrating; clumsiness; poor judgment;
slurred speech; ; sweats; constipation; sleepiness; *abuser
may appear “normal” after long-term use
• Stimulants (Ritalin, Adderall): Dilated pupils; hyperactivity;
euphoria; irritability; anxiety; excessive talking followed by
depression or excessive sleeping at odd times; may go long
periods of time without eating or sleeping; weight loss; dry
mouth and nose.
Warning Signs of Commonly Abused Illicit Drugs
• Hallucinogens (LSD, PCP): Dilated pupils; bizarre and
irrational behavior including paranoia, aggression,
hallucinations; mood swings; detachment from people;
absorption with self or other objects, slurred speech;
confusion.
• Heroin: Contracted pupils; no response of pupils to light;
needle marks; sleeping at unusual times; sweating;
vomiting; coughing, sniffling; twitching; loss of appetite.
Adderall abuse
"Two years ago this November, one of my friends (and ex-boyfriend's roommate) died of a Dilaudid overdose. *** had
worked as a tech at a hospital for several years and had just gotten into pharmacy school at ***. He was cute and
charming and smart...but he also loved to have a good time. We all knew he drank too much and was a recreational
user of hydrocodone and percocet, but it honestly always seemed so harmless. His GPA was a full point higher than
mine and as I said, he'd just gotten into pharmacy school. We also knew he abused Adderall, but it was college---we
knew fifty people abusing Adderall; it was hardly even worth noting. I wish we hadn't been so quick to dismiss ***'s drug
use as harmless.
One morning I got a phone call that *** was in the hospital; he was brain dead. His other roommate had found him in his
bedroom the afternoon before when *** was supposed to have left for work and hadn't. He was slumped over in his
computer chair; he'd vomited and apparently aspirated. He was blue, not breathing, and his pulse was weak and slow.
The roommate frantically called 911 but there was nothing they could do. On subsequent evaluation, the police found 6
little vials of Dilaudid, a tourniquet, and some Nubane. No Dilaudid was missing from the pharmacy where *** worked,
but the investigators were able to piece together what happened: after preparing injections, the Dilaudid vials were
discarded in the trash by the pharmacist...who never noticed that *** was taking the used vials out of the trash. By
collecting several vials, he was able to get enough of the medication to reconstitute it and inject it. We have no idea
how long he had been doing this. It's hard to even fathom how someone so smart acted so stupidly; a detail I've always
found heartbreaking is that on his computer screen when he died was a Google search of "dilaudid overdose.
PLEASE, please, please....if anyone you know is messing around with drugs and you're worried about them, say
something. I know my friends and I will always regret we didn't."
Mixing drugs can have
fatal outcomes
• Heath Ledger (1979-2008)
– OxyContin and Vicodin (opiates)
– Valium, Xanax, Restoril (depressants)
– Doxylamine (sedating antihistamine)
• Anna Nicole Smith (1967-2007)
– Chloral hydrate, clonazepam, oxazepam, Valium
(depressants)
– Benadryl (sedating antihistamine)
– Topamax (anticonvulsant)
• Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
– Propofol and Lidocaine (anesthetics)
– Ativan, Versed, Valium (depressants)
– Ephedrine (stimulant)
• Elvis Presley (1935-1977)
– Morphine, Codeine, Demerol (opiates)
– Valium and Ethchlorvynol (depressants)
MYTH- prescription medications are
safer than street drugs
• Majority of teens report that
prescription drugs are
easier to get than illegal drugs.
• Many believe that abusing
prescription drugs is much safer
than illegal “street” drugs.
MYTH- prescription medications are
safer than street drugs
• Majority of teens report that
prescription drugs are
easier to get than illegal drugs.
• Many believe that abusing
prescription drugs is much safer
than illegal “street” drugs.
TRxUTH – this myth is DEAD WRONG!
• Unintentional drug poisonings are now the
2nd leading cause of accidental death in the U.S.
TRxUTH and consequences
• Health, legal, social and personal
development problems.
• Thousands of emergency
department visits every year are
related to prescription medication
misuse or abuse.
• Drug treatment admissions for
prescription drug addictions have
increased dramatically in recent
years.
The good news?
• Most teens are NOT abusing prescription
drugs!
• Most teens DO make good choices – keep
doing encouraging good behavior
• Giving accurate information → more
informed decisions
What can I do?
• Store prescription drugs in locked and
secure locations.
• Dispose of prescription drugs properly and
participate in a medication disposal day in
my community.
• Model safe medication-taking practices
for others.
• Talk with my kids, grandkids, nieces,
nephews and neighbors.
• Tell a friend about the dangers of
prescription drug abuse.
• Make a presentation to a rotary, PTA, faithbased organization or other about this issue.
Where can I learn more?
National Council on Patient Information and Education (www.talkaboutrx.org)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (www.nida.nih.gov)
Office of National Drug Control Policy (www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov)
Parents.The Anti-Drug (www.theantidrug.com)
Partnership for a Drug-Free America (www.drugfree.org)
Stop Medicine Abuse (www.stopmedicineabuse.org/) created by the
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(www.samhsa.gov)
The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy Generation Rx Initiative
(www.pharmacy.ohio-state.edu/outreach/generation-rx)
Developed by
The Ohio State University
College of Pharmacy
This program is made possible
with a grant from the
Cardinal Health Foundation