HEALTHPrescription drug abuse by teens increasingPrimary care physicians are being encouraged to help stem the tide by offering patients office-based drug treatment.By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Feb. 10, 2003. Washington -- Kyle Moores, a 19-year-old recovering drug addict, got his first "oxys" from a classmate. She gave him free samples from a prescribed supply of Oxycontin that her father readily shared with her. After a couple of months she started charging for the pain relievers. By then, Moores was hooked. After 1½ years of addiction, Moores enrolled in a substance abuse program and managed to break his habit. But his experience leading up to rehab places him among the growing ranks of teens and young adults who admit to recreational use of prescription opioids, antidepressants and stimulants. In 2001, nearly 3 million 12- to 17-year-olds and 7 million 18- to 25-year-olds reported abusing prescription medications, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. "The human, social and economic costs associated with the abuse of prescription medication are truly profound," said Westley Clark, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "Young adults, even teens ... do not seem to realize that this misuse can lead to serious problems with addiction." Last month, the Food and Drug Administration and SAMHSA kicked off an effort designed to raise awareness about the increasing rates of abuse. The annual number of new prescriptions for pain relievers has increased since the mid-1980s from about 400,000 to 2 million in 2000 -- making these medications more accessible, according to SAMHSA data. Meanwhile, many young people may not understand the danger posed by the improper use of prescription pain relievers, said John Jenkins, MD, director of FDA's Office of New Drugs. [...]Full text of AMNews content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2003 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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