Polar Bear Medical Blog

Prescription Drugs

Teenage illicit drug use is a result of ongoing substance abuse. Many teenagers with drug misuse problems involve drugs that are obtained from the family medicine cabinet. Prescription drug abuse by teens is rising even though alcohol, tobacco, and other illegal drug use is decreasing.

Marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco are the leaders of drug use in American adolescents; however prescription drug misuse is right behind them. A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry by Ty Schepis PhD and Suchritra Krishnan-Sarin found that the majority of this drug use begins at home. Dr. Schepis and Dr. Krishnan-Sarin from the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine used data to show that nearly 50% of all classes of medicine (opioids, stimulants, tranquilizers, and sedatives) were obtained for no charge by family members and friends.

The most common way for teens to obtain opioids was via a physician. However, the most common source for other drugs was family and friends (13.1% – 29.7%). The second most common was through a drug dealer (4.6%-12.0%). MD Richard A. Freidman, professor of Clinical Psychiatry and director of the Psychopharmacology Clinic at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College who studies teenage drug abuse said “these data underscore how easy it is for young people to obtain potentially abusable prescription drugs. It is clear from these data that the main source is not street dealers, but friends, family members, and physicians.”

The availability of drugs is a big factor. Dr. Schepis cautions that “many people have medications that they previously needed that remain in their medicine cabinet, perhaps and opioid analgesic for a surgery. These medications are easy targets for adolescents wishing to experiment, continue to use, or sell medications to peers. Thus, proper medication disposal is really important, and all patients should be counselled on that.”

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Lately, President Obama has been making a strong push towards health care reform, a shake up of the current system If you will. Some do not fully understand why, but looking at the statistics Obama may be on to something here.

Although the United States is one of the most wealthy, and arguably the most powerful nation in the world, our medical services are highly overpaid. According to the American Human Development Index (AHDI), of the 30 most wealthy nations in the world, the United States ranks 24th in life expectancy. If this is not bad enough Americans actually spend more on health care than any other nation. However, even with the extra money Americans put into the health care system, the United States has fallen into last place, among the more wealthy and developed nations, in preventing avoidable deaths through use of timely and effective medical care (AHDI).

Regardless of whether the health care reform is successful or not, the main idea behind it is quite noble. On a broadcast to American citizen’s, President Obama described what he intends to do about the health care system, “We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice and provides coverage that every American can count on. And we will do it this year.”

The goal would be to provide access to AFFORDABLE health care. Why did I capitalize, bold, and change ‘affordable’ to italic? Simply for the reason that currently, health care is robbing many Americans. More than half of all personal bankruptcies that occur in the United States are related to the inability to pay for illness or injury(AHDI).

Obviously something needs to be done to help American citizens, mostly the middle and lower classes, that have a difficult time paying for medical care. Every person deserves to have adequate medical treatment without having to worry about the financial issues.

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