One of the most likely places for teens to access prescription drugs and OTC medications is in their own homes and the homes of friends and family members. Easy access is often the first step in the process when it comes to teen prescription drug abuse and addiction, but there are some things that you can do to lower the risks and keep your teen safer. These include:
- Keep all prescription medications locked up in a secure spot. No one wants to believe that their teen will abuse prescription drugs but this is common with adolescents. Make sure that elderly family members also keep their drugs under lock and key to prevent unauthorized access and lower the risk of teen prescription drug abuse and addiction.
- 1 in 5 teens in high school admit to prescription drug abuse, and usually the drugs abused came from their home or the home of a close family member. It is not just narcotic pain medications that can be a problem, many drugs for heart conditions, blood pressure, and other medical issues can have unexpected or even fatal results when taken by teens.
- Teens are the highest risk group when it comes to prescription drug abuse and addiction, and this age group also has a high risk for the abuse of over the counter products as well. OTC drugs can be just as dangerous as prescription medications yet many teens believe these products are safe to abuse in order to get high.
- Talk to your teens early and often about the dangers of teen drug abuse and addiction, and cover both prescription drugs and over the counter products during these discussions.
