Teens becoming 'Generation Rx'

First our teens have been using inhalants rather than coc aine and other drugs like ecstasy.

But now the trends seems to be also in the parents medicine cabinet. More teens are using also prescription drugs.

The nation's teenagers are increasingly trying prescription drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin to get high, with the pill-popping members of "Generation Rx" often raiding their parents' medicine cabinets, according to the latest national study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Now we have to safe guard our children and teens from our own household items.

www.cnn.com...

According to the survey, the most popular prescription drug abused by teens was Vicodin, with 18 percent -- or about 4.3 million youths -- reporting they had used it to get high. OxyContin and drugs for attention-deficit disorder such as Ritalin/Adderall followed with one in 10 teens reporting they had tried them

Seems that littler by littler our homes are becoming a hazard to our own children.

With access to drugs with doctor approval.

Prescription drugs are socially acceptable. We have become a pill popping society. The promises made by the pharmaceutical companies make it seem that a pill can solve just about any problem. Can't concentrate? We've got a pill for that! Can't urinate? We've got a pill to fix that! Can't keep an erection? Pop this pill, it will fix it! At risk for heart disease? Nah... don't bother living a better or cleaner life, just take this pill, it will fix you right up.

What people need to realize is that children are highly prone to the power of suggestion and victims of desensitization. Society has taught them that illicit drugs are bad but presecription drugs are good. The same study cites that marijuana use is down because the same study group felt that it was "socially unacceptable." That should pretty much sum it up for ya right there.

Apart from other issues related to the teen drug use...

Why not keep "problematic" prescription drugs locked in a safe box? If you had a young child in the house, this would be a good idea anyway. Just keep the bandaid and Neosporin outside, the rest should really be secured.

don't forgtet to lock up the most socially acceptable drugs, nicotine and alcohol......easily much more destructive to this world than Rx or illegal drugs combined

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
don't forgtet to lock up the most socially acceptable drugs, nicotine and alcohol......easily much more destructive to this world than Rx or illegal drugs combined

Hold on. I agree about the dangers of these two, but there is always the "E" and Mary Jane one has to worry about when it comes to kids.

Originally posted by AelitaWhy not keep "problematic" prescription drugs locked in a safe box? ....

I'm going along with that philosophy: ALL drugs are poisons, as they are designed to do "something" (unless they are placebos, and even there, their psychological effects can be - presuably - measured). So, it is surely the responsibility of parents or carers to monitor where the drugs are kept, so that access is denied to those who would misuse them, either by mstake (because they are young children who see these drugs as "sweets") or by older children out to get a "hit" from them.

At the end of the day, WE have to accept responsibility rather than look to others to solve our problems - like charity, safety begins at home, IMO...

Originally posted by Aelita

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
don't forgtet to lock up the most socially acceptable drugs, nicotine and alcohol......easily much more destructive to this world than Rx or illegal drugs combined

Hold on. I agree about the dangers of these two, but there is always the "E" and Mary Jane one has to worry about when it comes to kids.

we're on the same page here mate, I was just trying to point out how harmful nicotine and alcohol are, and they are rarely discussed because they are legal and accepted.......I can't imagine what I'll have to keep my 4 year old away from in a few years, they come up with a new drug every year it seems......

One of the most used medicines readily available that even I have used is cough medicine, special the one to help you sleep.

I have know parents that used adult cough medicine to help their small children sleep all night even when they are no sick at all.

Most of the cough medicines have narcotics.

Teens are getting into powerful pain killers for a high also.

I tell you what, I don't have to worry about my 18 year old because he will not take a pill, he is paranoid about pills.

He was prescribe vicodin for a foot injury he torn ligaments in his foot, he got one pill and refused to take any more, he said he didn't like the way his mind felt like it.

He rode the pain on his own.

I'm sorry, but parents locking up their precriptions would have little or no impact on these children who use prescriptions. The majority of users are not getting them from the family medicine cabinet. They're getting them from friends or off the streets, where they are becoming easier and easier to get.

The amount of prescriptions that it would take for someone to be hooked would easily be noticed by the person who is missing them. Thus, a child could not sustain any habbit soley on what his/her parents have in the bathroom cabinet.

I know, because I've been there. The town that I grew up in has exploded as far as prescription drug use amongst male teens. They're not getting them from mom and dad. They're getting them from the people who con their doctors into writing them scripts, only to turn around and sell them on the streets.

A lot more has to be done both by law enforcement and the drug manufacturers themselves. With all of the billions they spend on R&D, I'm sure they could develop pain medication that doesn't give you the "high" that heroin does. The profits that come from Oxycontin alone are more than enough to develop a version that cannot be crushed and snorted or chewed for its high.

Parents start by druggin their "uncontrolable" kids with Ridollin and than they are surprised other kids look for other prescription drugs ??? How are those prescription drugs at the hand of the "children"??? because parents buy them..............

I agree we parents have a responsibility, but like Rasputin point out children does take prescription drugs to school.

I can testify for that and my daughter can also, she used to tell me when she was in high school that other students will bring bags with pills and give them away.

[edit on 21-4-2005 by sardion2000]

Originally posted by marg6043
I agree we parents have a responsibility, but like Rasputin point out children does take prescription drugs to school.

I can testify for that and my daughter can also, she used to tell me when she was in high school that other students will bring bags with pills and give them away.

My daughter had the same experience... It's so crazy. And now the big thing is buying them online from these "online pharmacies" and selling them for upto $20 a pill!!!

Not to mention how "easy" it is to make crystal meth from OTC cough/congestion medicines. A meth lab/operation was just busted about 2 weeks ago in my area (NJ). Apparently a bunch of high schoolers had a lab in the woods and were buying OTC medicines from the surrounding pharmacies and Wal-Mart and making meth.

And to think this generation RX will eventually be the "new parents"... what are they going teach their kids??

Peace

Serum39, I could not believe that around my neighborhood we have 2 houses busted for making drugs.

I am talking about a neighborhood that nothing never happens people are nice friendly and is just a great area.

It wasn't even in the local news, my husband found out because he has some friends that works with the police department.

One of the houses was one in the street behind my yard, both houses were for rent houses.

The we have another house that was rented to students from the university and they were doing gambling, now that one we all knew about it, young people can not stay quiet when they are partying.

The problem is that the owner was a respectable member of the county.

That was all over the news, since then we have become more aware of our streets, who move in and who moves out.

When my daughter was in high school the big thing was coc aine and Ecstasy.

My daughter said that it wasn't a party around that will not have drugs in it.

I am over the teen age years with my children but it was some years that I did nothing but worry.

I dont have teens at home anymore but i always keep the over the counter meds in the medicine cabinet and if i have prescriptions, they are hidden.

I think this problem stems from our generation mainly. Why that Cape Cod Hospital on any given Saturday night is filled to "capacity" with people in their 40's and 50's all suffering from "pain". AND the word gets out who the doctor or doctors on call are that night, Bingo. The ones who give pain killers freely and half the town goes to spend a few hours there .
Now, dont get me wrong. I, myself, dont take that stuff because it makes me sick to my stomach...But you betcha tons of people love it, all our age.

I dont know what the fascination is with drugs- I guess everyone looks for a way to escape reality. I think its in our genes. I worked at CVS in Hyannis also for awhile, in the pharmacy filling prescriptions- OMG, what an experience that was. I literally worked with a one armed pharmacist. LOL..He was a sweetheart but one armed and that was a trip.
Anyways the fights that broke out in there when i would tell mrs. X that her prescription couldnt be refilled.

So its not just kids. But we must take every precaution with certain medicines. I guess humanity is such that we need that "trip" to drown out our feelings.

I here ya, my daughter is about to turn 17 (Uggh)... and I have a 12 year old son who UNFORTUNATELY is on Adderall We fought it for 3 years but the school made us feel like he HAD to be medicated if he was going to succeed in school and not be cast off to the "special kids" classes. He is/was an A & B student!!!!- they didn’t want the responsibility of dealing with him because he would call out in class and silly stuff like that.

Our Dr did agree that he needed a bit of help to stay focused. He's on the lowest dosage possible and he's doing great. EXCEPT he wont eat...

Anyway- I am NOT surprised about what you have found going on in your neighborhood. What I forgot to mention about the kids recently busted- these kids were not "burn-outs" or "losers". One of them was the schools superintendent's son!!!!! And the other three along with him were all "honor roll students". These are bright kids doing bad deeds... I'm sure they will one day be CEO's of some pharmaceutical Co..

Crazy world

Peace

Originally posted by Serum39
Anyway- I am NOT surprised about what you have found going on in your neighborhood. What I forgot to mention about the kids recently busted- these kids were not "burn-outs" or "losers". One of them was the schools superintendent's son!!!!! And the other three along with him were all "honor roll students". These are bright kids doing bad deeds... I'm sure they will one day be CEO's of some pharmaceutical Co..

Crazy world

Peace

One friendly hint, my son was 12 when the school told me that he needed medication because hyperactivity, I took him to his doctor and he was put on Ritalin.

Biggest mistake I ever made, after two years and he will not eat either, I demanded the school to test him for disabilities his grades didn't improve.

When the school refused, I took him to a private doctor a Physiologist and have him tested.

The results were not in favor of the school and the medication he was on, intermediately he was taken by the physiologist of the Ritalin because he didn't need it.

It was not him it was the school and the area that was affecting him.

The school at the sign of me talking about law sue, immediately tested him again for other test that the physiologist didn't do after all the doctor I took him was a well know doctor in the town and the one the school itself rely on.

Well the school found out that he did indeed had some "learning problem" just to avoid law sue.

He was put on "special help" because he was not mental disable.

To make the story short, when my son turned 18 he drop out of school got a GED and now is on college.

Guess what he said he hated the school and the entire faculty. He is very happy now.

Be careful and if you can afford it take him to an expert, my son's pediatrician didn't what he was doing.

Excuse me but I think I may be part of this "Generation RX" I think it may be the parents problem but the Education system on drugs is trivial at best, the documentaries I watched at school was basically saying take drugs and die when we all know thats not the case not to mention the videos were more scare tactics rather than factual information!!!!

I'm not going to go into detail but I have taken quite a few drugs and NEVER once have I ever wanted to raid the medical cabinet, actually we don't even have a medical cabinet fact is the only medicine we have in whole house is asprin????

Teens these days (inc. me) actually enjoy changing the way we think, learn and feel from these experiences (well I know I do) about wether I would like to do it again, now for BIG corporations selling pills on-line is just daylight robbery, all I do is smoke a J every other night after work, eat my Genetically Modified crops and drink the polluted chlorine infested water. Then the government are moaning at me to stop doing drugs, what a f*cking joke!!! The question I would ask our prime minister is how come millions and millions of £s of coc aine. heroin etc. etc. gets into our country without anybody noticing???

Serum39:

And to think this generation RX will eventually be the "new parents"... what are they going teach their kids??

I know I'm going to tell my kids to stay away from ANY man-made drugs thats for sure, as for the stuff that grows naturally I'll just have to let them make up their own minds, you become as bad as the nanny government trying to tell your kids, Do this, don't do that, etc. etc. True say you do need to discipline and teach your children but you need to do it in a positive way.

IE: Instead of just punishing a child because they done something wrong, why not tell them in a nice calm way and communicate, ask them why they did it and why they shouldn't do it again????

BaastetNoir
Parents start by druggin their "uncontrolable" kids with Ridollin and than they are surprised other kids look for other prescription drugs ??? How are those prescription drugs at the hand of the "children"??? because parents buy them..............

EXACTLY, I couldn't put it any better myself.

Wow...that sounds VERY familiar...

As I mentioned we fought this for 3 years and during that time we tried everything we could to AVOID medication. He was tested & tested. Academically, he's VERY SMART. Grades were NEVER the problem nor did he have a learning disorder. It was his short attention span and hyperactivity + he HATES school. In the middle of a lesson he would just get up and walk around the class, go over to the windows, basically blow the teacher & the lesson off (this was in 3rd grade). That plus the constent "robert please dont, robert, robert please stop, robert dont call out".... you get the idea.

They deemed him a "classroom disruption" and threatened to pull him out of class. (they already kept him back in 2nd grade becauase of his disruptive behaviour) Mind you- he was NEVER mean or belligerent to anyone.

We felt the system just didnt want to deal with him. Since getting off ritalin & being on adderall he hasnt had any problems (minus the lack of eating). He is not medicated on the weekends. ONLY during school.

Peace

You make some honest points there. And YES it IS the parents problem.

I too have tried EVERYTHING under the sun. I will say NOT until I was 20 though. I made a conscience descion to find out what "it was all about" for myself. I did. And I understand why & how easy it is to fall into the"drug trap"

I am 30, with 3 kids (two are step children) and I have had the "drug conversation" with my daughter. I explicitatly explained the difference between weed and EVERYTHING else. I was honest and upfront. The rule is as such in our house... weed is equated with alcohol. DO NOT LET ME CATCH YOU SMOKING WEED OR DRINKING until you are 21. PERIOD. Of coarse she will still do these things as many teens do and she has told me so. Teens will be Teens. Th ebest we can do as parents is CARE. Be honest and educate them, and quietly watch over them , be involved in their lives.

I think the two mistakes most parents make most are: they forget what is was like to be 16-17-18. And parents dont know how to pick and chose their battles. Either they dont care or every little thing the kids do gets them in trouble. It shouldnt be a power struggle at home- but rather a long lesson in how to survive on your own. I dont want to RULE my kids lives- let them rule their own lives. We just want to provide a rock solid foundation for them to make the right descions and this is all we can do.

Peace