Adolescence
is a wonderful time of life. It’s a period filled with new independent
adventures, the formation of identity, and the joys and heartbreaks of first-time
events. Adolescence is a time to experience the excitement of first loves and of
game-winning home runs, but it’s also the time of loss—the loss of those same first
loves, of emerging disappointments, the loss of some innocent freedoms, and potential
strikeouts. Additionally, it’s a time of
secrecy—especially from parents. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a good
communicative relationship with your adolescent, if you think your teen isn’t
using, or at least experimenting with some drugs, you probably need to
wake up. According to most studies, the majority of adolescents have tried
addictive substances. Drugs are easy to
come by, with half of high school students saying they know a classmate who
sells drugs. And if this is what they
admitted to researchers, just imagine how many more kids have access to any
number of substances—and have potentially tried one of them without your
knowledge?
MORE INFORMATION ON NARCAN & OVERDOSE FROM THE CDC
In 2018 alcohol remains the most
common substance abused among adolescents, just as it is among adults. Cannabis comes next, and
then prescription drugs. The good news for most parents of adolescents is that this
“experimenting” is just that: brief curiosity or a peer-induced event. However,
not all substances of adolescent experimentation are as potentially benign as
alcohol or cannabis. Prescription opioids are becoming all too common among
adolescents. Every other day we read another news story about the opioid
epidemic gripping our country. More people than ever are dying from opioid
overdoses. Some opioids,
such as heroin,
are illegal. However, many opioids
are legal and are prescribed by health care providers to treat pain.
These include oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, and
morphine, among others. Use of these prescription drugs for short durations, as
prescribed by a doctor, is generally safe. However, use of illegal opioids and
misuse of prescription opioids can lead to addiction—and even overdose or
death. In recent years, it is estimated that about 5 million people in the
United States have tried opioids as recreational drugs—and an increasing number
of these users are adolescents. There are now more deaths each year from
prescription opioids than from heroin and cocaine combined.
Adolescence is a critical
at-risk period for substance use!
While estimates can vary,
research suggests that over 1 million adolescents ages 12-17 have reported
misusing opioids over the past year. This percentage is twice as high
among older adolescents and young adults ages 18-25. The vast majority of this
misuse is due to prescription opioids, not heroin.
Some teens get exposed to opioids and abuse them as
recreational drugs. One common way that teens initially try opioids is by
finding them in their own home medicine chest. If you ask people who misuse opioids where they got the
opioids, a high proportion say they got it from a relative, a friend, or a
medicine cabinet in the house. If family members have taken any
opioid medications in the past, they should make sure they have properly
disposed of any remaining pills so that children and teens cannot access them.
If they are currently taking these medications, they should keep them in a
locked cabinet.
Abusing
prescription opioid pain relievers is a major problem among young people, and a
new study shows users are combining those drugs with other substances. Opioids
are dangerous when taken other than as prescribed and combining them with other
drugs only compounds the risks of overdose.
Death from
overdose is the most serious consequence of prescription-drug misuse. From 1999
to 2017, almost 218,000 people died in the United States from overdoses related
to prescription opioids. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids were
five times higher in 2017 than in 1999. And while the number of
deaths from drug overdose remains quite low overall, the rate of overdose
deaths among adolescents is increasing. In 2018, approximately 5,000
young people ages 15-24 died from a drug-related overdose; over half of these
were attributable to opioids
Individuals
at increased risk of opioid misuse include those with acute and chronic pain,
physical health problems, histories of mental illness (such as depression) and
other substance use or abuse. Youth who have witnessed a family member overdose
or who have many friends that misuse prescription drugs also are at increased
risk.
Given
the potentially lethal result of opioid abuse by your adolescent it is
important to try to understand as much as you can about what’s going on in your
adolescent’s life regarding drug use. When discussing drugs and alcohol with
your adolescent, trying just to scare them is usually a tactic that will
immediately turn them off from listening to you. If you believe he or she is
using opioids, speak intelligently about the risks. Again, DON’T JUST TRY TO
SCARE THEM. When discussing opioids as opposed to other substances—given the
potential lethal effects—they should be made to be aware of the dangerous outcomes
of opioid use when compared to other substances. This becomes somewhat more complicated if
they have been prescribed opioids to control pain, or if someone else in the
family is a regularly prescribed user. Keep in mind that you are your kids’
significant model!
Try
to find out why your adolescent is using drugs and avoid accusations. Above all
listen to your adolescent!
If
you even suspect that your adolescent or their friends are potentially using
opioids you should educate them about Naloxone, sold under the name Narcan, and
how this lifesaving drug can reverse the effects of opioids in the event of an
overdose—potentially saving a loved one’s life.
Naloxone can quickly restore normal breathing and save the life
of a person who is overdosing on opioids.
In 2017, close
to 50,00 people died from an overdose on opioid drugs, including prescription
pain relievers, heroin, and fentanyl. Naloxone is a safe medication that is
widely used by emergency medical personnel and other first responders to
prevent opioid overdose deaths. Unfortunately, by the time a person having an
overdose is reached, it is often too late. A variety of drugs and drug combinations carry the risk of
fatal overdose. Emergency protocol for any suspected overdose includes calling
911.
An overdose can happen when the amount ingested causes
suppressed breathing in a way that oxygen can’t reach vital organs, and the
body begins to shut down. It’s important to note that an overdose can occur
anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 full hours after drug use. Signs of an overdose
include:
- Face
is clammy to touch and has lost color
- Blue
lips and fingertips
- Non-responsive
to his or her name, or a firm sternum rub using the knuckles
- Slow
or erratic breathing, or no breathing at all
- Deep
snoring or a gurgling sound (i.e. what would be described as a “death
rattle”)
- Heartbeat
is slow or has stopped
Tell any potential user that it is important even after the
administration of Naloxone to call emergency responders right away.
They may try to hide the event thinking
everything in now okay. But Naloxone is only active in the body for 30 to 90
minutes and its effects could wear off before those of the opioids, causing the
user to stop breathing again.
Either you can get your adolescents Narcan or tell them
where they can purchase it.
Pharmacies that sign up to dispense naloxone
are required to sell the medication to anyone (of any age) that
requests it. A doctor's prescription is not required, and
recipients do not need to provide a photo ID. Pharmacies that
dispense naloxone are protected from liability under New York
State law. Naloxone
is now available in more than 2,000 pharmacies throughout New York State.
Individuals who are themselves at risk for an overdose (or their family members
or friends) may acquire naloxone in these pharmacies without bringing in a
prescription. (Narcan Nasal Spray is the most recent FDA-approved naloxone
product, and it is very easy to use.) In addition to some independent
drugstores, Walgreen’s, CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Wal-Mart are providing
naloxone in many states through their pharmacies without requiring a
prescription.
We
would all be happier if none of our children experimented with drugs or alcohol—but
unfortunately the vast majority do. With our involvement in their lives we can
all try to make this often harmless adolescent curiosity a phase that passes
quickly rather than something that causes the trauma of overdose—or worse.