By Ashley Neglia
Over the past eight years, poison control centers have seen a 76 percent surge in cases where teens have been abusing attention-deficit drugs, according to a study conducted by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Over the past eight years, poison control centers have seen a 76 percent surge in cases where teens have been abusing attention-deficit drugs, according to a study conducted by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Researchers analyzed data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers dating from 1998 to 2005 and found that calls related to teen abuse of ADHD drugs rose from 330 to 581 per year. In addition, not only did most of the 42 percent of teens who had moderate to severe side-effects require emergency-room treatment but four deaths were also reported.
This increased incidence in ADHD drug abuse has been attributed to an 86 percent rise in ADHD medication prescriptions, according to a report by the Associated Press.
"The study hangs a lot on availability," says Steve Pasierb, head of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "They're everywhere. [People think,] How dangerous can it be if a lot of kids in school do it?"
Whether teens take more than the prescribed dosage or use ADHD medication that's not prescribed to them, incidents of self-medication can have disastrous consequences. "These drugs are pharmaceutical stimulants. They are prescribed by a doctor who knows your history," says Pasierb. Stimulant medication, such as those used to treat ADHD, can increase heart rate and blood pressure. For most children and teens with ADHD, side effects are few. However, a recent study conducted by the American Heart Association recommended that children with ADHD get a cardiac evaluation, including an electrocardiogram (ECG), before treatment because certain heart condition can increase risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to ScienceDaily.
"These kids are out there self-medicating themselves," says Pasierb. "The drugs themselves are safe but the behavior -- the way we're abusing them -- is very dangerous. Most teenagers have alcohol in the mix. [They] party all night and use them to get up [in the morning.]"
Part of the problem is that ADHD medication has a therapeutic effect, says Jay E. Fisher, Ph.D., an expert in ADHD diagnosis and treatment.
"If the drug is available then there's the temptation to abuse it if it creates some kind high. I think the availability is more likely one of the reasons that it's abused."
While some experts agree that teenagers are abusing these prescription drugs to attain a high, Pasierb notes that this kind of drug abuse can also come about as a way to manage life. "People think they're using them to get high, but when you look at the research, most [teenagers say,] "I wouldn't smoke marijuana." [They're] using [ADHD drugs] to manage their life. They're chasing these drugs to make them[selves] faster, smarter, stronger."
Pasierb warns that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg since the data was collected from 1998 to 2005. "We think its' going to go up this year. From 2006 to 2009, this generation began to abuse prescription drugs at high levels."
To prevent your child or teen from abusing prescription ADHD medication, Pasierb and Fisher recommend parents maintain control over dispensing medication. In addition, Pasierb suggests cleaning out the medicine cabinet, throwing out old prescriptions and putting used ones under lock and key. "The number one supply is family," he says. "[Kids] get [prescription medication[ at grandma's house or their cousin's house, so we've got to go through our bathrooms and lock up the stuff that's dangerous. If you don't go on the trust system, that will make a huge difference." For information on how to go about cleaning out medicine cabinets, go to Not in My House, sponsored by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
