More teens are calling for help with ADHD prescription drug abuse, according to information obtained from the American Association of Poison Control Center. Calls to the center from 13-19 year-old victims regarding prescription ADHD medication abuse rose 76% between 1998 and 2005.

These types of calls rose more quickly than those for general substance abuse by teens (up 55%). ADHD medication prescriptions were up 80% over the same time period, a figure researchers suspect is no coincidence. Girls called more frequently than boys, representing 40% of all victims, but boys suffered more severe effects than girls, who accounted for just over 19% of major effects or death.

Researchers can only speculate why the imbalance is so drastic: “We don’t know for sure whether the increased calls for help are the result of simply more abuse or the escalating severity of consequences,” explains G. Randall Bond, MD, director of the Poison and Information Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“The findings suggest that more teens are abusing and misusing stimulant ADHD medications because they have access to those medications, not because a higher percentage of those treated have turned to abusing their medication,” explains lead author Jennifer Setlik, MD, also of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder that can continue through adulthood. Individuals with ADHD may be extremely talkative or fidgety, and often have difficulties with impulsiveness, patience, following instructions, hyperactivity, attentiveness, and behavioral control.

Most of the medications used to treat ADHD are amphetamines, stimulants intended to boost concentration; drugs such as Adderall, Dexedrine, or Ritalin are typically prescribed. Teens abuse these stimulants to increase focus, to reduce pain and anxiety, or to get high without knowing the side effects.

Side effects may include insomnia or tiredness, cottonmouth, dizziness, and headaches. In more extreme cases, however, they may cause vomiting, seizure, or psychiatric problems, including hallucinations. Strattera, a non-stimulant antomoxetine, can cause users to have an increased likelihood of suicidal thoughts.

"Clearly," says Setlik, "we are seeing a rising problem with the abuse of these medications." As the drug abuse problem progresses, education continues to be stressed as a means of prevention.

Click here for more information on how to talk to your child about drug abuse.

Prescription drug sharing among teens is becoming a great concern in the United States, where 1 in 3 self-reportedly loan or borrow medication.
According to a survey funded by the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), 20.6% of teens reported loaning drugs, most commonly pain relievers and allergy medications, and 19.4% reported borrowing them. Girls were almost twice as likely to give away prescription medications than boys (27.5% of girls, compared to 17.4% for boys).

Information for the study was gathered in malls, parks and public streets, in eleven urban and suburban locations in the United States. Researchers obtained data from 594 teens—289 male and 305 female—ages 12-17.

“Prior to our study, no one had asked adolescents how often they shared prescription medications,” said lead author Richard Goldworthy, Ph.D., director for research and development at Academic Edge, Inc.

Researchers first asked participants whether or not they had ever loaned or borrowed prescription medications. Those who responded positively were then asked what type(s) of drugs were borrowed, whether they gave or received written or verbal instructions, and whether or not they had shared to avoid a doctor’s visit—74% of borrowers said yes.

Of the 86 teens trying to steer clear of the doctor’s office, 32.4% ended up going anyway when the problem persisted. Herein lies the danger: 43 of them reported experiencing an allergic reaction or other side effect, but less than half of borrowers (about 40%) reported telling their doctors they had used the medication.

Drug sharing has a number of negative consequences. Conditions often worsen when not taken care of in a timely manner, and using medications improperly only increases the danger. Sharing antibiotics, for example, unnecessarily increases bacterial resistance to treatment.

“Other researchers have studied people selling prescription drugs,” said co-author Chris Mayhorn, an associate professor in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Psychology Program at North Carolina State University. “ but we looked at people with good intentions, trying, for instance, to help a friend who lacked money or transportation.”

Taking a friend’s acne medication may seem innocent to a teen, however, drugs such as Accutane increase risk of depression and can cause serious birth defects in he event of an unplanned pregnancy.

The study has provided a greater incentive to boost educational programs, pushing efforts to reduce the growing drug sharing problem by training both patients and providers about proper drug use.

Melissa Haddow, executive director of the Community Partnership of the Ozarks, says, "This work highlights the diversity of medications being abused this way, which had not been recognized (before)."

More about child health.

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks all reported births and deaths in the United States, including teen birth rates, and releases that information part of the National Vital Statistics Reports. The just-released report for the year 2006 shows that the birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 years increased, up 3 percent from 2005 after declining for the previous 14 years. Teen birth rates increased significantly in 26 states between 2005 and 2006, representing nearly every region of the country. But not every state was affected; some states have teen birth rates that are less than half of the national average. Below is a list of the states with the lowest teen birth rates in 2006. The rates per 1,000 females aged 15-19 are listed in parentheses.

The top 10 states with the lowest teen birth rates for 2006 are:

1. New Hampshire (18.7 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19). Virtually unchanged from a year ago, New Hampshire has the lowest teen birthrate in the nation, as it did in 2005.
2. Vermont (20.8). New Hampshire’s Northeastern neighbor was also second on the list last year and saw little change in the teen pregnancy rate in 2006.
3. Massachusetts (21.3). Another New England state, Massachusetts also had no change in its teen birth rate from last year and is less than half of the national average.
4. Connecticut (23.5). This densely populated state had a similar teen birth rate in 2006 as in 2005, but this represents a decrease of 42 percent since 1991.      
5. New Jersey (24.9). The Garden State actually saw a six percent increase in teen births from 2005, but remains in the fifth spot.
6. New York (25.7). The Nation’s second largest state saw a three percent decline in teen birth rate from 2005 to 2006, climbing two spots on the list.
7. Maine (25.8). Maine’s teen birth rate stayed about the same in 2006 but the state dropped one spot after being passed up by New York.
8. North Dakota (26.5). This Northern state saw only modest declines in the teen birth rate form the years 1991 to 2005: 16 percent was the smallest decline in the country. But they are making up for that now, with the teen birth rate declining 11 percent in the last year alone.
9. Rhode Island (27.8). With a decline of 11 percent over the 2005 teen birth rate, the Nation’s smallest state moved up four spots and into the top ten.
10. Minnesota (27.9). A seven percent increase in teen birth rate dropped Minnesota down three spots to number ten on the list.

If you have questions about teenage pregnancy, join the Healia Health Community for Teen Health or the Healia Health Community for Pregnancy, or ask the experts at Healia Health Communities.

Related blog post: The Top 10 States with the Highest Teen Birth Rates

_{Source: CDC, Births: Final data for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 57 no 7. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf}

_{Photo: LabGP&SigOther, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its annual report on all live births in America for the year 2006, and it showed that for the first time in 15 years, the birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 years increased, up 3 percent from 2005. Only the rate for the youngest adolescents declined in 2006, to 0.6 per 1,000 people aged 10–14 years. Birth rates for teenagers aged 15–17 and 18–19 years rose between 3 and 4 percent each. These increases follow huge declines of 45 and 26 percent, respectively, in the rates between 1991 and 2005. Teen birth rates increased significantly between 2005 and 2006 in 26 states, representing nearly every region of the country. Below is a list of the states with the highest teen birth rates in 2006. The rates per 1,000 females aged 15-19 are listed in parentheses.

The top 10 states with the highest teen birth rates for 2006 are:

1. Mississippi (68.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19). Also topping the list in 1991, Mississippi saw its teen birth rate decline 29 percent between 1991 and 2005, but it jumped 13 percent in 2006.
2. New Mexico (64.1). This Southwestern state saw a decline of 23 percent in the teen birth rate over 14 years but the rate held steady in 2006.
3. Texas (63.1). Texas’s teen birth rate rose a modest 2 percent in 2006 after experiencing a 21 percent decline over the previous 14 years.
4. Arkansas (62.3). This Southern state had an increase of 5 percent over last year, reversing a 26 percent decline between 1991 and 2005.
5. Arizona(62.0). Arizona’s teen birth rate rose 7 percent over last year and is a nearly 1.5 times the national average.
6. Oklahoma (59.6). After seeing a decline of 25 percent over 14 years, the rate of teen births in the Sooner state rose 10 percent from 2005.
7. Nevada (55.8). This Western state experienced the largest decline on the list over the previous 14 years, down one-third from 1991-2005. Unfortunately, Nevada reversed the trend and saw an 11 percent increase in 2006.
8. Tennessee (54.7). Tennessee’s teen birth rate was unchanged from 2005, but decreased 27 percent in the previous 14 years.
9. Kentucky (54.6). Tennessee’s neighbor to the North, Kentucky has a nearly identical teen birth rate, but for the Bluegrass State this represents an increase of 11 percent over 2005.
10. Georgia (54.2). Georgia’s teen birth rate declined 31 percent from 1991-2005 but creeped back up 3 percent in 2006.

If you have questions about teenage pregnancy, join the Healia Health Community for Teen Health or the Healia Health Community for Pregnancy, or ask the experts at Healia Health Communities.

Related blog post:  The Top 10 States with the Lowest Teen Birth Rates

 

_{Source: CDC, Births: Final data for 2006. National vital statistics reports; vol 57 no 7. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2009. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf}

_{Photo: mahalie, Flickr, Creatve Commons}

 

As part of the “Protect the Ones You Love” initiative, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report listing the top types of fatal injuries in children and teens. Unintentional injuries account for the greatest number of deaths in children and teens up to 19 years old. The CDC included this data in the “Protect the Ones You Love” initiative in order to raise awareness and to prevent injuries like these from occurring. Death rates are per 100,000 people and are listed in parentheses.

The Top 7 Causes of Unintentional Fatal Injuries in Children up to 19 years old (2000-2005) are:

1. Transportation-related (9.8 deaths per 100,000 children)
2. Drowning (1.4)
3. Suffocation (1.2)
4. Other Injuries (0.9)
5. Poisoning (0.8)
6. Fires or Burns (0.7)
7. Falls (0.2)

Join others in the Child Health community on Healia Communities.

Related Blog Post: Car Accidents, Falls Leading Causes of Injury and Death in U.S. Children and Teens

_{Source: CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0–19 Year Olds in the United States, 2000 – 2006, CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, 2000-2005. http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Child_Injury_Data.htm}

_{Photo: woodleywonderworks, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The recent shooting at a Nebraska shopping mall by a 19-year old teen has many concerned about the use of antidepressants among teenagers. The suspect killed eight people and then himself on December 5, 2007 at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska. Reports say that the suspect was using antidepressants and had been experiencing mental health problems and ideations of suicide.

This is not the first time a shooting rampage has been linked to antidepressants. One of the Columbine shooters was reportedly taking a prescription antidepressant when he participated in the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO (CNN).

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), antidepressants can help improve a person’s mood, sleep, appetite, and concentration. Antidepressants typically take several weeks of use to be helpful. It is required that antidepressants carry strong warnings about their possible link to suicidal behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults ages 18 to 24.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that antidepressants may cause suicidal thinking and behavior. A recent analysis showed that children on antidepressants were more likely to have suicidal thoughts or behavior compared to children taking a placebo (sugar pill).

Parents, caregivers, and young adults considering using antidepressants should be aware of product warnings, signs of potential side effects, and alternative treatment options are available. This will help to make an informed decision.

The signs and symptoms of suicidal thoughts or self-harm are sometimes not obvious and may be difficult to detect. According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms that a condition may be worsening or that someone may be at risk of self-harm include:

• Thoughts about suicide or dying
• Attempted suicide
• Self-injury
• Feelings of agitation or restlessness
• Panic attacks
• Sleeping problems
• Increasing sadness
• Extreme increase in talking or activity
• Aggression, violence or hostility
• New or worsening anxiety
• Problems at school
• Spending more time alone

Alternatives to prescription antidepressants should be considered when exploring treatment options. The Mayo Clinic suggests exploring a variety of counseling techniques, including psychotherapy or cognitive behavior therapy. Family therapy and getting children involved in school activities or sports also may help. For more information on antidepressants, visit healia.com.

antidepressants Nebraska mall shooting teenage antidepressant use

At least once a week around the lunch table our discussion turns to video games. World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, and The Simpsons Game are just a few that pop up from time to time. Recently, this article circulated around our office: “More than a game: New wave of video games have health benefits” by John McCormack, AMNews correspondent.

While there has been plenty of attention and discussion on the negative impact of video games, from their potentially addictive qualities to their effect on the obesity rate, a growing number of gaming advocates within the profession are trying to figure out what good things games have to offer physicians and patients.

With the launch of the Wii, there has been an emergence of exergaming – video games that provide exercise. Soon, instead of warning patients against video gaming, will doctors start prescribing specific games to fight against obesity or chronic pain?

Learn more here.

video games health search