Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness

Misconceptions About Prescription Drug Abuse:

- Teens don’t think there is a risk in trying prescription drugs without a doctor’s written order
- Teens abuse prescription painkillers because they believe they are safer to use than illegal drugs
- Teens think their parents wouldn’t mind as much if they got caught using prescription drugs
- Teens believe there are fewer side effects than illegal drugs
- Teens aren’t the only ones susceptible to abusing prescription drugs - adults are at risk too

Warning Signs:

Warning signs for Rx abuse vary with the type, dose and drug taken.
Main signs and symptoms include:

- Slurred speech, contracted pupils, sweating, flushed skin and loss of appetite
- Borrowing money or having more cash than usual, acting secretive, not doing well in classes or skipping school
- Irritability, mood swings, personality changes, sleepiness or avoiding
sleep, forgetfulness or clumsiness, extreme energy
- Missing pills, finding unfamiliar pills or empty bottles or packages
- Running out of medication too quickly or requesting premature refills

Mind Your MEDS.

Action Steps for Parents/Caregivers to Take.

Monitor your prescriptions

- Count how many pills are in each prescription bottle or package. Determine when refills will occur.

- Keep a record of your family’s refills.

- Monitor dosage and refills of your teens’ medications. Especially pain relievers, ADD and ADHD medicines.

Evaluate security methods

- Evaluate the security of your medications.

- Keep all medicines in a locked cabinet your teen cannot access.

Dispose of prescriptions properly

- Discard expired or unused prescription drugs when your teens are not home.

- The safest way to dispose of medicines is with a local Prescription Drug Take Back Program. These are presented by law enforcement.

(Benton County has a safe disposal program for medications, called PyroMed, 8 a.m.- Noon, the second Saturday of each month at the Benton County Courthouse. Call Environmental Services at 479-271-1083 for more information.)

- Look at labeling or packaging to determine how to discard of medications. The Link section below also has guides to proper disposal.

- Remove the drug store label from your medications so no one will try to refill your prescription.

- If throwing medications away, mix with used coffee grounds or kitty litter. Put the mixture into an empty container and dispose. This prevents others from getting the medications out of your trash.

- Unless the directions on the packaging say otherwise, do not flush medication
down the drain or toilet.

Stop prescription drug abuse

- Talk to your kids about the severity of Prescription Drug Abuse

- Take action with your MEDS.

- Because teens are likely to get prescription drugs from their friends, talk to your teenager’s friends parents about the importance of taking the steps of MEDS.

- Make sure relatives and grandparents also take the steps of MEDS. If grandparents are not able to do it themselves, talk to a caregiver or you take action.

Additional Links:

Prescription Drug Awareness

KTHV - Channel 11 in Little Rock
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=100953&catid=2

FDA - Proper Disposal of Prescription Medicines
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm101653.htm

FDA - Disposal of Certain Medicines
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/...

Partnership for a Drug-Free America™ - Monitor, Secure, Dispose