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Adolescent Prescription Drug Abuse: An Overview Of Current Data, Tavis Cowan Md

Family Medicine Scholarly Works

Prescription drug abuse among adolescents is a growing and increasingly lethal problem. Recent survey studies show a concerning increase in abuse and poor awareness among users, parents, and medical providers. Access to prescription drugs of abuse is often through relatives’ supply of medications. Categories of abused drugs include opiates, stimulants, and benzodiazepines. Methamphetamine is a special case as prescription-only pseudoephedrine can drastically change patterns of abuse. Awareness programs are emerging for youths, parents, community members, and medical providers; but data on effectiveness of these interventions is not yet available.