Southwest Council warns of dangerous trend of prescription drug abuse among children

Parents are becoming aware of the growing trend of prescription drug abuse in our nation's middle and high schools. Many of these teens are overdosing on narcotic pain relievers such as Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin, according to The Southwest Council, Inc.

What parents may not know is that even young children and toddlers are becoming accidental victims of these drugs.

New research in the 2008 Annals Of Emergency Medicine suggests that “increased availability of prescription opiates is responsible for a surge of accidental overdose deaths and injuries among young children under the age of 6.” Between January 2003 and June 2006, 9,179 children in this age range were sickened by prescription opiates, with eight of these children dying. According to the report's co-author Richard Dart of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, prescription drugs have become a leading cause of child poisonings, with only carbon monoxide poisoning being more prevalent.

More than 157 million prescriptions for opiates were written in the United States in 2007. Most of the children who were poisoned accidentally ingested medication belonging to an adult living in the same home.

In an effort to reduce the number of prescriptions being written, physicians should be suspect of patients who offer “textbook symptoms,” or who ask for specific medicines by name in an effort to obtain opiate prescriptions. Patients who claim loss or theft of opiate prescriptions or who ask for refills before they are due should also be viewed with concern.

According to Dr. Leonard Paulozzi of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a March 12, 2008, report before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, roughly 40 percent of opioids are dispensed in emergency departments. He suggests that hospitals start requiring their emergency departments to screen patients for a history of substance abuse before dispensing opiates.

Parents and adult caregivers are on the front line when it comes to protecting children from accidental poisonings. One way to do that is to make sure all prescriptions are kept out of reach of children. Disposing of outdated or unnecessary medications is also recommended.

Grandparents should be encouraged to secure medications in homes where children might be visiting. While prescription pain relievers offer relief to many patients, it must be remembered that these are very powerful drugs and they need to be treated as potential poisons for children.

For more information on prescription drugs, contact the Southwest Council, Inc. at 856-935-0182 ext. 11. The Southwest Council is an alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention agency serving Salem, Gloucester and Cumberland counties.

Call us today to discuss how the V.I.P. Way can free you from your opiate dependency and get your life back. Call today: (800)276-7021 or (702)308-6353 Email: info@rapiddetoxlasvegas.com Medical Director: Board-Certified by American Board of Anesthesiology 1994, former chief of cardiac anesthesia, University of Nevada School of Medicine. Board-Certified by American Board of Pain Medicine 1997, Clinical Assistant Professor University Nevada School of Medicine.