Open communication is such a vital thing within families, especially with adolescents. With strong communication and accountability teens and basically people in general, will be less likely to resort to prescribed Opioids, or even drugs. This type of communication is exercised within chemical dependency counseling. Here is the article below...
"The chance that a teenager or young adult will receive a prescription for a controlled medication has nearly doubled in the last 15 years in the U.S., according to a new report.
In 2007, one out of every nine teens and one out of six young adults in their 20s received prescriptions for medication that have the potential for abuse, such as painkillers, sedatives and stimulants like Ritalin.
"This study indicates that there are many more abusable prescriptions in people's medicine cabinets, in homes where there are children," said Dr. Cindy Thomas at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, who reviewed the findings for Reuters Health."
BUT!
"Just because teenagers and young adults receive these prescriptions, however, doesn't mean they will abuse them, or pass them onto others, cautioned study author Dr. Robert Fortuna of the University of Rochester in New York.
Whether the increase means young people are getting too many of these prescriptions, and doctors should cut back, is also not clear from this study, he told Reuters Health.
What the study does do, he noted, is reinforce the importance of communicating the risks of controlled medications to young people — and the importance of monitoring their use.
"Physicians need to have open discussions with patients about the risks and benefits of using controlled medications, including the potential for misuse and diversion," Fortuna said in an e-mail. "Patients should also be monitored closely to ensure that their symptoms are adequately being treated and to ensure that prescriptions are being used as prescribed."
In addition, parents should stay vigilant if their teenagers ever needs one of these prescriptions, he said — maintaining "open communication" with their children and remaining aware of the potential for misuse. And if addiction help is need resorting to a counseling graduate in chemical dependency counseling...
To investigate prescription trends, Fortuna and his team reviewed data collected from 4,304 doctors and 3,856 clinics and emergency departments.
In 1994, only six percent of teens received a prescription for a controlled medication. By 2007, more than 11 percent were getting them — adding up to 2.3 million doctors' visits in which a drug of this category was prescribed, the authors report in the journal Pediatrics
An important step, suggested, may include reaching out to doctors about the dangers of these medications in young people. "In the past, initiatives to educate physicians regarding overuse of antibiotics, for example, were effective."
Along with risks, these drugs come with a cost — most low-dose, generic opioids run at less than $150 a month. The cost for sedatives ranges from $5 to more than $100 for 15 pills. The cost of ADHD drugs varies widely, from around $10 per month to more than $1,000."
Reuters
11/29/2010
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40419864/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/
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