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December 20, 2008
Report shows increased abuse of painkillers among teens
In the Los Angeles Times (12/11) Booster Shots blog, Shari Roan wrote, "Abuse of prescription" medications "continues to be a major problem among teenagers, although fewer of them are smoking cigarettes, according to the 2008 Monitoring the Future Survey released" on Dec. 11."
The study "found that nearly 10 percent of high school seniors reported nonmedical use of Vicodin (acetaminophen and hydrocodone), and 4.7 percent reported abusing OxyContin (oxycodone)."
Writing in the Wall Street Journal (12/11) Health Blog, Elizabeth Bernstein observed that the study "surveyed 8th, 10th, and 12th graders about their habits regarding drugs and alcohol." The survey revealed that "teen use of several other illicit drugs, including LSD, ecstasy, and heroin remained steady."
The investigators "found that at least one in eight high school seniors reported abusing prescription painkillers and stimulants obtained from friends, relatives, or schoolmates," Bloomberg News (12/12, Waters) points out. Meanwhile, "the percentage of teenagers smoking cigarettes has declined steadily since 1997, with similar trends seen in the use of alcohol."
According to HealthDay (12/11, Reinberg), "of the top 10 drugs used by high school seniors, seven are prescription" medications, "or over-the-counter medicines, such as cough syrup." Notably, "15.4 percent of 12th graders said they used prescription" medications "for non-medical reasons last year," and "over half the users of these" medications "get them from family and friends." David L. Katz, M.D., M.P.H., "director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, thinks the report provides data that can be used by drug-prevention programs."
Posted by admin at December 20, 2008 02:56 PM