Goals for Today Prescription and Over the Counter (OTC) Medicine Abuse Training

Prescription and Over the Counter
(OTC) Medicine Abuse Training
By Stephanie VanDerKooi, MPH, CPS-M
May 4, 2011
Goals for Today
Learn what prescription and over the counter
drugs are being abused
Learn who is abusing
Review Data
Identify what you can do as a professional to
help prevent these problems in your
community
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The Teen – Rx Abuse
Connection
Rx Medications are All Around Us…and Teens Notice
Patients leave the doctor’s office with a
prescription in hand in 7 out of 10 visits.
Direct-to-consumer advertising on TV and in
magazines is pervasive.
Many people don’t know how to safely use these
medications or ignore their doctor’s instructions.
As a result…
Rx drugs are part of teen culture. Teens:
Normalize this form of drug abuse.
Take these meds for legitimate reasons – with or
without a prescription – to stay awake, remain
alert or to go to sleep.
Purposely abuse these drugs to get high. They
participate in “pharming” and “bowling” parties.
Are often unaware that these activities can lead to
disastrous results.
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As a result…
Next to marijuana, the most common illegal drugs teens
are abusing are prescription medications.
Twenty percent of U.S. high school students say they have
taken Rx drugs without consulting a doctor.
1 in 5 teens has abused Rx drugs.
1 in 3 teens say there is “nothing wrong” with abusing Rx
medications “every once in a while.”
Every day, almost 2,500 teens abuse an Rx medication for
the first time.
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
Teens’ Rx Drugs of Choice For Abuse
How they work
Abused by teens to:
Drug names
Strong pain
relievers
Used to relieve moderate-tosevere pain, these
medications block pain
signals to the brain
Get high, increase feelings of
well being by affecting the
brain regions that mediate
pleasure
Vicodin, OxyContin,
Percocet, Lorcet, Lortab,
Actiq, Darvon, codeine,
morphine,
methadone
Stimulants
Primarily used to treat ADHD
type symptoms, these speed
up brain activity causing
increased alertness,
attention, and energy that
comes with elevated blood
pressure, increased heart
rate and breathing
Feel alert, focused and full of
energy—perhaps around final
exams or to manage
coursework, lose weight
Adderall, Dexedrine,
Ritalin, Concerta
Used to slow down or
“depress” the functions of
the brain and central
nervous system pressure,
increased heart rate and
breathing
Feel calm, reduce stress,
sleep
Valium, Xanax, Ativan,
Klonopin, Restoril,
Ambien, Lunesta, Mebaral,
Nembutal, Soma
Sedatives or
tranquilizers
RX ABUSE PREVENTION TOOLKIT - from awareness to action
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OxyContin Effects
High similar to Heroin rush
Prescription Oxycontin designed for a 12
hour release to patient.
Abusers are crushing up tablets and snorting
them getting all the opiates at once.
This quickly leads to addiction
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OxyContin Facts Cont..
1 in 20 High School Seniors admit trying
Oxycontin.
Highly addictive with severe withdrawals
sweats, chills, vomiting, headache
Often a Gateway drug to heroin because its
cheaper.
Several companies launching crush proof
alternatives to Oxycontin.
Access to RX Drugs
Where are they getting these from?
Medicine Cabinet
Home
Friends
Other relatives (grandparents)
School
Kids at school sell and share
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What can you do to prevent RX Drug
Abuse?
Educate yourself on this topic
CADCA www.cadca.org
White House Epidemic Responding to Americas
Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis
www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
Educate your community
Parents, youth, and patients about the dangers of
abusing rx drugs
Safe and proper storage and disposal.
What can you do to prevent RX Drug
Abuse?
Monitor
Become aware of legislation to monitor RX drugs.
Proper Medication Disposal
Develop convenient drop off locations “community take
back programs”
Ex. Ottawa County Health Department
Work with existing programs to help advertise
Participate in the DEA Drug Take Back Days
Enforcement
Provide law enforcement with tools to eliminate improper
prescribing practices and doctor shopping behavior.
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Prescription Drug Abuse Resources
www.cadca.org
www.theantidrug.com/resources
www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
www.nida.nih.gov
www.samhsa.gov
www.dea.gov
Streetdrugs.org
Over the Counter Drug (OTC) AbuseGoals For Today
Learn what OTC Drugs are
Identify who is using
Identify why are they using these drugs
Learn what you can do to prevent this from
becoming a problem in your community
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Over The Counter Drug Abuse-Cough
Medicine
Dextromethophan (DXM)-active ingredient
FDA approval 1950’s to relieve cough
symptoms.
Over 100 OTC medicines that contain DXM
Alka Seltzer cough and cold
Coricidin
Robotussin
Dimetapp
Sudafed cough products
Slang terms for Cough Medicine Abuse
Skittling
Tusssing
Robo tripping
Triple cs
Dex
Dex trip
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“Lean” – “Purple Drank”
“Lean” or “Purple Drank”
Recipe
Rx Cough Syrup with Codeine and
Promethazine.
Cherry Bubble up or
Sprite
Two watermelon Jolly
Ranchers
Ice cubes
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“Lean” or “Purple Drank”
Effects
Altered
level of consciousness
Sedative Effect
Alcohol often added
Out of body experience, euphoria
Sweats, fever, confusion
Cough Medicine Abuse- Side Effects
Delusions
Panic attacks
Memory problems
Blurred vision
Stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting
High blood pressure and rapid heartbeat
Numbness of fingers and toes
Drowsiness and dizziness
Fever and headaches
Rashes and itchy skin
Loss of consciousness
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Cough Medicine Abuse Access Points?
Local grocery stores, pharmacies, chain
stores, gas stations, etc.
Buy them from several different stores
Friends
Medicine Cabinets
Local Story- ”Care Baskets”-Heidi Denton
Cough Medicine abuse Scope of the
Problem
3.8% of 8th graders, 6% of 10th graders, and
5.9% of 12th graders are abusing cough
medicine (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2009)
Becoming very common in teen culture,
especially on the internet. Hundreds of
websites that promotes DXM-containing
medicine telling how to achieve the best
highs based on their height and weight!
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Cough Medicine Abuse: Warning Signs
Empty cough medicine boxes or bottles in the trash,
backpack, school locker
Purchase or use of large amounts of cough
medicine when not ill
Missing boxes or bottles of medications from the
cupboard
Changes in friends, physical appearance, or
sleeping, or eating patterns
Declining grades
Loss of interest in hobbies
What can you do to Prevent OTC Abuse?
Educate yourself on this topic
Educate the community
www.stopmedicineabuse.org
Communicate the dangers to your children & other kids
Host Town Hall, attend PTA meetings, Health Fairs, etc.
Monitor your teens internet use
Safeguard your medicine cabinets
Lock your cabinet
Know your inventory
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More information
www.dxmstories.com
www.stopmedicineabuse.org
www.doseofprevention.org
Fivemoms.stopmedicineabuse.org
www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
www.nida.nih.gov
www.abovetheinfluence.com (Teen based)
Questions
Any questions??
To get this PowerPoint presentation please
go to the Lakeshore Coordinating Council’s
website. www.lakeshoreca.org/training.aspx
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Contact Information:
Stephanie VanDerKooi, MPH CPS-M
Health Educator
Ottawa County Health Department
12251 James Street Ste 400
Holland MI 49424
616-393-5776
[email protected]
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