Generation Rx: The new way to use and abuse

The February newsletter from the Park City High School PTSO warned parents about an alarming trend pervading the teen party circuit. Pharm parties, also known as pill-popping or "fish bowl" parties, involve an assortment of prescription drugs and teenagers willing to pop a fistful of pills without knowing what they are or where they came from.

Teens who go to pharm parties partake in a dangerous guessing game. An assortment of pills is dumped into a bag or bowl and passed around, grab-bag style, so that everyone gets a handful of "party favors." The mix might include powerful pain pills such as Vicodin and OxyContin, sedatives such Valium and Xanax, and stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall.

Recent statistics substantiate the growing concern regarding prescription drug abuse among teenagers. A 2008 study conducted by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America reports that one out of five American teens have experimented with prescription drugs. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one quarter of the 1.3 million drug-related emergency room admissions in 2004 involved prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Why are kids taking part in this dangerous phenomenon?

For one thing, prescription pills are often much easier (and cheaper) for teens to acquire than club drugs or street drugs. They collect pills from the medicine cabinets of friends and family members, order from illicit online pharmacies, or even exaggerate pain
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from sports-related injuries and other medical conditions to obtain prescriptions.

Since pills are relatively easy to get, many teens are willing to share or sell their drugs at a low price, explains Anna Williams, a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist at Valley Mental Health in Park City. Even those who have no intention of abusing their prescription may be swayed to make a few bucks by selling what they don't use.

According to local pharmacist Steve Hamilton, teenagers also tend to share the misconception that because certain drugs are prescribed by a doctor, they provide a "safe" high. They don't recognize the risks associated with combining prescription medications or mixing drugs and alcohol.

Certain combinations of prescription drugs, especially when mixed with alcohol, can be lethal. One potentially fatal mixture is taking narcotics or sleeping pills and mixing them with alcohol, Hamilton warns.

"People shouldn't share drugs, and they certainly shouldn't take drugs that aren't prescribed to them," he says.

Should parents in Summit County be concerned?

Medical, pharmaceutical and law-enforcement employees in Park City say they are not aware of pharm parties taking place in Park City.

"I haven't heard of any incident along those lines involving Park City youth or residents," says Phil Kirk, a Park City police captain.

Hamilton, who is a pharmacist at The Market at Park City, explains that pill-popping parties are not something new. People did the same thing in the 60s at "fruit salad" or "salad bowl" parties, he explains. "It was a really bad idea then and it's a really bad idea now."

Williams says that in her practice, she does encounter prescription drug abuse on an individual basis. The most common instances involve young people sharing or selling stimulants such as Adderall. "I don't see it as often as marijuana or alcohol use, but it is not infrequent," she says. "Parents need to be in control of the intake and safekeeping of their child's medication."

Several students at Park City High School attest that pharm parties are not a regular occurrence. A 17-year-old commented that he had heard of such parties in Salt Lake, but not Park City.

There is some debate over whether pharm parties are as widespread and commonplace as the media portrays. However, experts agree that it is important for teens and parents to be aware of the hazards of abusing prescription drugs regardless of the circumstances surrounding the activity.

What can parents do to protect their kids?

The most important thing people can do to prevent prescription drug abuse is to properly dispose of leftover or unused medication, says Kirk. The Park City and Summit County police departments recently initiated a prescription drug disposal program, with designated receptacles at the Park City Police Department, 2060 Park Avenue, and the Summit County Justice Center, 6300 N. Silver Creek Drive.

"We've been very impressed with how many people have anonymously dropped off their prescription medications," says Kirk. We're surprised at how much we're getting each week and we're having to step up our efforts to process it all."

Parents should also talk to their children about prescription drug abuse. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America study revealed that only 24 percent of teens have talked with their parents about the dangers of taking prescription drugs without a doctor's supervision.

If you suspect your child has a problem with prescription drug use, a good place to start is with your local pharmacist or family physician, says Hamilton. Valley Mental Heath in Park City provides outpatient substance abuse services; For more information on prevention, intervention and treatment, visit


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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