| BARRIOZONA |
| Bilingual Community Expression Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues |
| Getting High with Medicines |
| Trendy, risky, lethal... |
| Teens are taking prescription pain relievers and over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines just to get high. |
Forget about street drugs like marijuana,
cocaine, or LSD: the trend among teens
seeking to get high is taking prescription
drugs. Of course, many teens still stick to the
old traditional drugs, but many others have
found prescription and over the counter
medications easier to obtain and with the
same punch effect
Teens who are intentionally abusing
prescription and OTC (over the counter) drugs,
to get high are also finding out that controlled
and legal drugs can be just as addictive as
illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and LSD.
cocaine, or LSD: the trend among teens
seeking to get high is taking prescription
drugs. Of course, many teens still stick to the
old traditional drugs, but many others have
found prescription and over the counter
medications easier to obtain and with the
same punch effect
Teens who are intentionally abusing
prescription and OTC (over the counter) drugs,
to get high are also finding out that controlled
and legal drugs can be just as addictive as
illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and LSD.
The trick many young people are falling into is the false impression they have about prescription or OTC drugs as
safe drugs. Of course, when taken properly, prescription and OTC drugs can be taken safely, but teens who are
purposely abusing them to get high, are not following the dosage recommended.
This translates into dangerous scenarios in which a teen does not take a couple of pills or tablets, or tablespoon
or two of cough syrup to get better. Teens are gulping down amounts that can go from a few pills to dozens or
more a day! Some are deliberately abusing legal drugs by drinking up to 3-5 bottles of cough syrup a day, or
making risky cocktails using alcohol.
Thus, teens may become drug addicts in what may seems to them safe by not taking prescription drugs without a
doctor’s approval and supervision, but abusing them to rather unsafe, even deadly levels. Kids are abusing
painkillers, sedatives, stimulants. A common stimulant is Ritalin®, a drug used for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), almost
half (48%) of all emergency department visits resulting from overdoses from an ingredient found in many cough
syrups, dextromethorphan (DXM), were patients 12-20 years-old.
Teens who are involved in this new way of getting high fail to realize that, when used and abused outside of
doctor’s directions, prescription drugs can deliver a very hard - sometimes fatal - blow. Young people are being
deceived by the fact that these drugs are not branded as “illegal,” but their components are as addictive as those
of street, illegal drugs; abusing them can lead to similar health effects, including paranoia, seizures, and cardiac
arrest.
Across the nation, a growing number of teens are getting involved in the trend known as Pharming, which consists
in getting together and getting high by “partying” with prescription and OTC drugs. Kids are “pharming,” by
grabbing a handful of prescription drugs and swallowing some or all of them, often with alcohol.
Not surprisingly, young people have access to this type of drugs in the family’s medicine cabinet, but some are
ordering them online from illegal pharmacies, using them and sharing them with friends at school.
safe drugs. Of course, when taken properly, prescription and OTC drugs can be taken safely, but teens who are
purposely abusing them to get high, are not following the dosage recommended.
This translates into dangerous scenarios in which a teen does not take a couple of pills or tablets, or tablespoon
or two of cough syrup to get better. Teens are gulping down amounts that can go from a few pills to dozens or
more a day! Some are deliberately abusing legal drugs by drinking up to 3-5 bottles of cough syrup a day, or
making risky cocktails using alcohol.
Thus, teens may become drug addicts in what may seems to them safe by not taking prescription drugs without a
doctor’s approval and supervision, but abusing them to rather unsafe, even deadly levels. Kids are abusing
painkillers, sedatives, stimulants. A common stimulant is Ritalin®, a drug used for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), almost
half (48%) of all emergency department visits resulting from overdoses from an ingredient found in many cough
syrups, dextromethorphan (DXM), were patients 12-20 years-old.
Teens who are involved in this new way of getting high fail to realize that, when used and abused outside of
doctor’s directions, prescription drugs can deliver a very hard - sometimes fatal - blow. Young people are being
deceived by the fact that these drugs are not branded as “illegal,” but their components are as addictive as those
of street, illegal drugs; abusing them can lead to similar health effects, including paranoia, seizures, and cardiac
arrest.
Across the nation, a growing number of teens are getting involved in the trend known as Pharming, which consists
in getting together and getting high by “partying” with prescription and OTC drugs. Kids are “pharming,” by
grabbing a handful of prescription drugs and swallowing some or all of them, often with alcohol.
Not surprisingly, young people have access to this type of drugs in the family’s medicine cabinet, but some are
ordering them online from illegal pharmacies, using them and sharing them with friends at school.
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| Prepared by HISI Staff Photo by Eduardo Barraza BARRIOZONA |
