- Dangers of
Sharing Prescription Medication
- By Jenny Ursworth
It's becoming a big problem,
especially among this country's teenagers. More and more it's
being discovered that people are trying and sharing prescriptions
not meant for them. Because this is becoming such a big problem
as well as a dangerous one, studies are being done to find
out just exactly why this is becoming such a big problem in hopes
that a resolution can be made to stop the sharing of prescriptions.
|
Studies have already found that
more teenage girls, than boys are doing this. Why is not quite
known, but over 13% of teenage girls say they have either taken
someone else's prescription, or have given their own prescription
to someone else. The sharing of prescriptions start out
innocently enough most times. Someone has a friend who's in pain
or "stressed out" and another friend offers up what
they take to relieve them of the same problem.
The girls claim they share their
meds with a friend because she takes the same meds and is out
at the time needed, or a parent uses the same meds and they don't
feel that sharing is bad because the medication is the same.
It's still not understood why girls do this more than boys, other
than girls seem to go through more "growing pains"
than boys do. |
|
Even though the intention of
sharing the medications with friends starts out innocently enough,
it can still be a costly mistake because doses may be different
for one person and not the other. Even vitamins should not be
shared with others because what works for one may cause health
problems for another. For example, if medicine is prescribed
to work with that person's own chemistry. Another person's chemistry
may be different and if given the same type of medicine, could
cause a terrible reaction with another person's chemistry.
Drugs that cause birth defects,
such as an teratogenic prescription are a huge concern among
doctors and pharmacists. A young woman taking someone else's
teratogenic prescription and not knowing she is pregnant, can
cause serious damage to her unborn child. Sharing prescription
medications is becoming such a trend that teenagers are turning
from the harder street drugs such as crack, ecstasy, and crystal
meth, because their using their parents or grandparents prescription
medication. This "new trend" of teenage drug abuse
has been branded "Generation X," because the problem
is becoming so serious.
With parents taking drugs for
anxiety, depression, migraines, pain, and so on, the medicine
cabinets are full. For the curious teenager or one that has a
"friend" who wants drugs, the pills are there for the
taking. If you have a child or teenager, this is the prime time
to talk to him or her about the dangers of prescription medication
sharing. Hopefully, educating your child about the consequences
of such action would be enough to change his or her mind from
trying it. |
