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.

A study appearing online today in the journal Cancer shows for the first time that marijuana use is associated with an increased risk of testicular cancer. Michael Phelps may not have realized that the repercussions of his public marijuana-smoking episode may go beyond lost endorsement money and disappointed fans.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle interviewed 369 Seattle men aged 18 to 44 who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and a group of 979 randomly selected age- and geography-matched healthy controls about their history of marijuana use. The results showed that those who reported current use of marijuana showed a 70 percent increase in the risk of testicular cancer. The risk was highest – nearly double – for men who used marijuana at least every week, who started using the drug before the age of 18, or who used it for 10 years or more.

The results also suggested the increased risk appeared to be in the form of testicular cancer called nonseminoma, which is the most aggressive type of testicular cancer and accounts for about 40 percent of cases. Nonseminoma tends to strike early, between the ages of 20 and 35.

The researchers note that this is the first study to examine a relationship between marijuana use and testicular cancer, so more research needs to be done in order to confirm that marijuana use is an important factor in a man's risk of developing testicular cancer.

Experts believe that the foundation of testicular cancer may occur in the womb, when some of the cells that will eventually become sperm fail to develop properly. This leaves them vulnerable to malignancy when they are exposed to high levels of sex hormones during adolescence and early adulthood. This explains why testicular cancer is the most common cancer in males between the ages of 15 and 34.

It may also explain the added risk of marijuana use, since it is known that chronic marijuana exposure has many adverse effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems, including decreased sperm quality, changes in testosterone levels, and male impotency. The male reproductive system also naturally produces a chemical that is similar to the active ingredient in marijuana that is thought to have a protective effect against cancer. The researchers speculate that marijuana use may disrupt this anti-tumor effect, which could explain the link between marijuana use and increased risk of testicular cancer.

Other known risk factors for testicular cancer include a family history of the disease, undescended testes, and abnormal testicular development. It is a relatively rare cancer, with only about 8,000 new cases in the United States each year. According to the National Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for testicular cancer is around 96 percent.

Experts say that young men should have their testicles examined as part of an annual physical examination and they can also learn how to perform self-examinations to help detect testicular cancer in an earlier stage, when it is easier to treat. For more information, join the Healia Health Community for testicular cancer. If you want to learn more about marijuana abuse, see the Healia Health Community for Drug Problems.

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A recent study in laboratory rats shows that binging on sugar can induce the same changes in behavior and brain chemistry as addictive drugs such as cocaine, morphine, and nicotine. This may come as no surprise to those of us who can’t seem to get enough of the holiday treats this time of year.

Researchers at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute had previously demonstrated that sugar met two of the three elements of addiction: causing a pattern of increased intake over time and signs of withdrawal. The present study, reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Scottsdale, Ariz., provides evidence that sugar binging can also cause the third element of addiction: craving and relapse.

In the study, laboratory rats that binged on sugar and then were denied it for a prolonged period, worked harder to get sugar when it was reintroduced to them. They consumed more sugar than they ever had before, suggesting that they had been craving the sugar and relapsed when it became available. Their motivation for sugar had apparently grown during the time they were without it.

As further evidence of craving, when the researchers offered alcohol to rats who were abstaining from sugar, the sugar-fed rats drank more than normal rats, demonstrating that their sugar binging had changed their brain chemistry. This inclination to overuse other drugs of abuse is common in people with addictions.

The rats also became hyperactive after receiving a very small dose of amphetamine (“speed”) that typically has no effect on normal rats. Increased sensitivity to stimulants is a long-lasting brain effect that can be a component of addiction.

The researchers had previously shown that sugar-bingeing rats undergo neurochemical changes in the brain that appear to mimic those produced by substances of abuse, including cocaine, morphine and nicotine. A chemical neurotransmitter known as dopamine is released in a region of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens when hungry rats drink a sugar solution. This chemical signal is thought to trigger motivation and, eventually with repetition, addiction.

While there is no evidence that sugar is addictive in people, additive behaviors and brain changes induced by other drugs are very similar between humans and rats. So does this mean you should cut out the holiday treats entirely? The rats in the study all binged on sugar several times before becoming “addicted,” so if humans are similar to rats in this regard, you should probably avoid eating large amounts of sugar all at once. Having a piece of fudge after dinner in probably fine; having a tray of fudge, may not be.

For more information or help with addiction, join the Healia Health Community for Substance Use and Chemical Dependency.

 

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The New York medical examiner’s office reported today that Heath Ledger’s sudden death was attributed to an accidental overdose of prescription medications including painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleeping pills. Heath Ledger, a 28-year old actor best known for his Oscar-nominated role in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain”, died January 22, 2008 in a New York apartment.

A statement by the medical examiner’s office concluded that his death was the result of misuse of prescription medications and acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine. This drug combination can cause the brain and brain stem to halt, leading to depletion of heart and lung function.

There are hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even when they have been prescribed in low dosage amounts. It is important to let your doctor know about all of the drugs you are taking to avoid the dangerous effects that can result from drug interactions. More information about drug interactions and drug safety is available at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Web site.
Heath Ledger prescription medications drug interactions