Teens Often Take Prescription Drugs Prescribed for Peers

	Tweet

Caregivers have been prescribing psychotropic medication for adolescents in increasing numbers. Although the prescriptions may be appropriate, sometimes the medication ends up in the hands of people other than the intended patients, reports the July 2007 issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter. In fact, surveys show that about 1 teenager in 10 uses prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes.

In a recent survey of more than 1,000 middle and high school students, researchers sought to find out how often drugs were diverted and how they were used. In the study, up to 60% of students receiving legitimate prescriptions had been approached to divert their medications. About 1 in 10 traded medication. A smaller proportion sold it, and as many as 25% gave it to friends or family members.

There is still much to learn about the motivation and context of all this sharing and trading, says the Harvard Mental Health Letter. We do know that not all rerouting is for recreation. Often the aim seems to be relief of pain, anxiety, or insomnia.

Some experts blame clinicians for writing too many prescriptions. But the researchers believe the problem may be that prescribers find it difficult to discuss the issue of diversion with patients and their families.

Dr. Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, notes, “What helps an anxious child may be poison for a substance-abusing child, but sometimes the two illnesses occur in the same child. Thus a simple solution like reducing the total number of prescriptions cannot work. The real task is to figure out which kids need which medicines and make sure that only those kids get the medicines. Not easy.”

Also in this issue:
• Antidepressants and suicide
• How Alcoholics Anonymous works
• Finding the right treatment for depression
• Patient treatment preferences affect outcomes of medical trials

The Harvard Mental Health Letter is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $59 per year.

Source: Harvard Health Publications

RELATED STORIES:
Winning The Fight Against Childhood Obesity   It Is Easy to Purchase Prescription Drugs and Controlled Substances Through Spam Messages   Mothers’ smoking linked to kids’ marijuana use   Parents Advised to Use Minimum Dose to Treat Childhood Fever   School-based health program boosts kids’ activity   AstraZeneca’s Crestor has many side effects   BP drugs reduce pneumonia risk in stroke patients   Surgeon General calls for more breastfeeding   Problem behaviors beset kids with cystic fibrosis   US warns about risks of Boehringer AIDS drug   Neck size could help ID childhood obesity   Children eschew the fat if dads aren’t lenient

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]