Welcome to the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse funded Regional Support Center information post.

      Who Knew Grandma Kept a Stash!

70% of all people who abuse prescription pain relievers got them from friends or relatives. Talk to your kids about prescription drug abuse!

                                           Learn how to at [1] www.myaa.org 

• Abuse of medicines has risen, according to the nation’s largest substance use assessment, the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  
• Many do not realize that medicines can be just as dangerous and addictive as street drugs when they are misused. Medicine is especially harmful when it is taken in high doses or mixed with alcohol or other drugs. In 2006, 49% of all drug-related ER visits involved pharmaceuticals (Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2006).
• Teens abuse prescription drugs more than any illicit drug except for marijuana, according to the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign ([2] www.theantidrug.org).

What drugs are being abused?

• The most commonly abused prescription medications are painkillers, like OxyContin or Vicodin. These narcotics are highly addictive. They can easily lead to overdoes when crushed and snorted or mixed  with other drugs, such as alcohol.
• Depressants, such as Valium or Xanax, are also commonly abused. They are addictive and can be deadly when used in combination with prescription pain medications, some over-the-counter (OTC) cold and allergy drugs, or alcohol.
• Stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, are being abused by many young people, especially by students who use them as a study aid. These addictive drugs can lead to serious mental and physical health problems.
• Some OTC medications, such as cough medications containing dextromethorphan, are also abused by teenagers and can ause serious side effects, coma, or death when taken in high doses.

What can we do?

SECURE AND MONITOR YOUR MEDICATIONS! Use pill boxes or request blister packs so that you can keep track of your medications. Make sure they are kept in a secure place that is not obvious or easily accessible to people who may visit your home.

DISPOSE PROPERLY OF OLD OR UNUSED MEDICATIONS. by crushing them and mixing them with coffee grounds, sawdust or kitty litter before placing them in a zipper sealed bag in the trash. This will make them unusable by others and keep them out of our groundwater. Encourage other friends, family and grandparents to clean out their medicine cabinets too.

Find out about a Take-Back program in your community.

And of course….

Talk to your teens about RX/OTC Drug Abuse!

For more inforamtion visit: [3] www.notinmyhouse.com, [4] www.theantidrug.org, [5] www.doseofprevention.org, [6] www.dxmstories.com, [7] www.goodmedicinebadbehavior.org, [1] www.myaa.org