Prescription drug abuse cuts right across all sectors of the community: from young teens to the elderly, from high school students and college students to health professionals like doctors, nurses and veterinarians. It can affect the unemployed in economically depressed areas to the wealthiest of Hollywood celebrities.

People fail to realize the significant impact medications have on our body chemistry. When they are taken in a non-prescribed fashion outside that which is intended by the manufacturer, or in combination with other substances like alcohol, pharmaceuticals can be hazardous and even deadly! Prescription drug abuse and misuse has silently risen to become one of the most serious prevention issues in the country.

We are starting to see risk taking people experimenting with these medications. More and more people are starting to use prescription and over the counter medication as a way to achieve a quick high. People view these medications as safe, in a sense that they are prescribed and approved by the FDA. These medications are also easily accessible and people don’t even have to venture out of their home to access them.

We are no stranger to that trend here in Wisconsin. In a recent press conference, WI Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen stated, “sixty (60) percent of our teenagers report that they have access to controlled substances in and around their homes. Two in ten (20%) have abused them to get high! None of us would drop our kids off at a ‘drug house’, yet many of us do not safeguard our own prescription drugs.”

Teenagers have started abusing these medications at “pharming” parties. This is a party where everyone brings a bottle of medication and they combine all of them in a candy dish or bowl. The more varied colors of pills the better, another term used for these parties is “skittling” because the pills resemble the candy of the same name. Recently the Town of Menasha Police Department arrested a 15 year old girl that had almost 200 prescription pills that she had taken from relatives and was attempting to sell at her high school!

Some people may view this as a “victimless” crime, in a sense that the only damage being done is to the abuser. Law enforcement agencies in Northeast Wisconsin can attest to the fact that this is not the case. In recent years, law enforcement has investigated many thefts and burglaries where pharmaceuticals were the primary target. In many cases, money and jewelry were bypassed! These addicts and criminals have become increasingly brazen in their crimes and we have started to see home invasions where innocent residents have suffered serious injuries. Pharmacies have also been the target of armed robberies, something that was unheard of ten years ago! According to the DEA, nearly a third of all armed robberies of pharmacies in Wisconsin occurred in Northeastern Wisconsin.

Even more disturbing is the number of people that have been hospitalized and even died due to this abuse. In 2008, almost half of the drug relatd emergency room visits in the Fox Valley were the result of a pharmaceutical. We also saw 36 drug related deaths, of which 27 had a pharmaceutical present.

The Partnership for a Drug Free America offers the following three step prevention guide:

Parents, you are in a position to help reduce child access to prescription drugs. Take precautions to ensure none of    your medicine is missing.
-Note how many pills you have.
-Keep track of your refills and the refills of other people in your home. If refills are needed sooner than expected, something is wrong.
-Control your child’s medication, monitoring the dosages and refills.
-Make other family members (especially grandparents) and friends aware of the risks. Encourage them to monitor their own prescriptions.

Children abuse prescription drugs because they are easily accessible, free or inexpensive.
-Approach securing your prescriptions the same way you secure other valuables.
-Hide prescriptions and other over the counter medicine in a secure place away from your children.
-Encourage your friends and relatives to do the same.

Safely disposing of expired and unused prescription medications is a critical step in protecting your children.
-Take a medications inventory. Discard expired and unused drugs while your children are not at home.
-Children will take drugs from the trash; therefore try to drop your unwanted medicines off at a drop center.
-Do not flush medications down the toilet.
-Remove all personal, identifiable information from your prescription bottles before throwing them away to prevent unauthorized refills and Identity Theft.

As with most dangers to our children, communication is the most important aspect of prevention. Talk to your kids about the harmful effects associated with the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medication.