Kids' motives for prescription drug abuse vary

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While some teens abuse prescription drugs to get high, most use these medications to treat themselves for pain, anxiety and other conditions for which the drugs are actually indicated, a new study shows.

Teens who use the drugs for recreational purposes were more likely to smoke pot, drink alcohol and abuse other drugs, but non-medical use of prescription medications still constitutes abuse, Dr. Carol J. Boyd of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

"Parents should treat prescription drug abuse just like they would treat marijuana use -- as risky behavior," Boyd said.

Kids may see their parents treating themselves and sharing prescription drugs, while at the same time they are "bombarded" with advertising about these drugs, she added. "They are taking in this information that's ubiquitous; they believe they have enough information now to become their own doctors and pharmacists."

Boyd and her team conducted a confidential survey of 1,086 seventh- through twelfth-grade students on their non-medical use of prescription medication. Twelve percent reported using opioid drugs, 3 percent sleeping medications, 2 percent sedatives or anti-anxiety drugs, and 2 percent had used stimulants.

Three quarters of those who reported using sleep aids said they did so only to go to sleep; 69 percent said they used opioid drugs for pain control only; while 29 percent said they used stimulants only to concentrate better or stay alert.

The more motives a person listed for the use of a drug, the higher he or she scored on a test used to screen for drug abuse risk.

The findings suggest that there are two distinct groups of teens who abuse prescription drugs -- those who get high, and those who self-medicate, Boyd's group suggests.

Even though the kids who are self-medicating are less likely to have drug abuse problems, Boyd noted, they run many other risks, including mixing prescription drugs with alcohol or other drugs. They may also have medical conditions that could make the use of unprescribed drugs deadly. For example, stimulants can be fatal in people with certain heart problems.

According to Boyd, "friendly sharing" of prescription medication is common among adults, and teens appear to be picking up this practice. "The family members are creating a norm for the self-treating and medication sharing," she said. "Parents are not such good role models on this."

SOURCE: Pediatrics, December 2006.