"I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood., and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has.

Journal Entry-Respond to the following quote:

"I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood., and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has

made all the difference.“-Robert Frost, American Poet

Think about your own life and any experiences you can relate to the quote.

What did you learn from last class?

What are the most commonly abused substances among teens?

Prescription Drug Abuse

Objectives:

I can identify the reasons people abuse prescription drugs.

I can identify why abusing prescription drugs is so harmful.

I have gained the knowledge necessary to make smart choices when it comes to the abuse of prescription drugs.

What is Prescription Drug Abuse?

Prescription drug abuse is: the intentional use of a medication without a prescription.

How common is it?

It is estimated that 20% of people in the United States have used a prescription drug for non-medical reasons.

WHY?Turn to seat buddy and verbally

brainstorm why people might take prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.

Can anyone tell me what

your generation is

best known as?

Generation Rx

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7582787/ns/health-addictions/t/generation-rx-teens-abusing-prescriptions/

Statistics had shown an increase in recent years: In 2009, 16 million Americans age 12 and older

had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.

The NIDA-funded 2012 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 1.3% of 8th graders, 4.4% of 10th graders,

and 7.5% of 12th graders had abused Vicodin 1.6% of 8th graders, 3.0% of 10th graders,

and 4.3% of 12th graders had abused OxyContin ▪ Both for nonmedical purposes at least once in

the year prior to being surveyed.

Why the increase?

1). Misperceptions about their safety.

- Because these medications are prescribed by doctors, many assume that they are safe to take under any circumstances. - This is not the case: prescription drugs act directly or indirectly on the same brain systems affected by illicit drugs; thus their abuse carries substantial addiction liability and can lead to a variety of other adverse health effects.

2) Increasing environmental availability.

Between 1991 and 2010, prescriptions for stimulants increased from 5 million to 45 million, a 9-fold increase, and opioid analgesics increased from about 30 million to 180 million, a 6-fold increase.

Varied motivations for their abuse.

Underlying reasons include: to get high; to counter anxiety, pain, or sleep problems; or to enhance cognition (although they may, in fact, impair certain types of cognitive performance). Whatever the motivation, prescription drug abuse comes with serious risks.

2012

How serious of a problem do we have?

Since 1999, overdose deaths from narcotic painkillers in the U.S. have quadrupled.

Every day, they kill 45 people and send 1,370 to emergency rooms.

By contrast, cocaine kills 12 people a day and heroin kills eight.

The number of people addicted to pain relievers grew from 936,000 in 2002 to 1.4 million in 2011.

About a third of the addicts are 18 to 25.

Taking Chronic Pain Meds:

Signs of prescription drug abuse…

Decreased or obsessive interest in school work

Fatigue, red or glazed eyes and repeated health complaints

Sudden mood changes, including irritability, negative attitude, personality changes, and general lack of interest in extracurricular activities

An extreme change in peer group or hangout location

Most commonly abused prescription drugs:Opioids—usually prescribed to treat

pain. Examples: Oxycodone (OxyContin), Vicodin,

Percocet

CNS depressants—used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. Examples: Valium, Xanax, Lunesta

Stimulants—prescribed to treat ADHD and narcolepsy Examples: Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin

What is OxyContin?

Oxycodone is used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics. It works by changing the way the brain and nervous system respond to pain.

Video clip from a pharmacist explaining the drug…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmZWZNsmc4s&feature=player_detailpage

Why is it so bad?

Because OxyContin, like heroin and other opioids, is a central nervous system depressant, an overdose can cause respiratory failure and death. Some symptoms of OxyContin overdose include: Slow breathing (respiratory depression) Seizures Dizziness Weakness Loss of consciousness Coma Confusion Tiredness Cold and clammy skin

OXYCONTIN: THE DANGERS

What is Vicodin?

Vicodin is a narcotic pain reliever typically used to treat moderate to severe pain.

Vicodin works by blocking nerve receptors that tell the brain that your have pain somewhere in your body. In other words, communication is interrupted from your pain to the brain.

Vicodin continued

Problems associated with Vicodin: Taking a large single dose of an opioid could cause

severe respiratory depression that can lead to death.

Effects of an overdose are clammy skin, convulsions, slow and shallow breathing, coma, and possible death.

Some side effects of using this drug are fast or slow heartbeat, trouble breathing, swelling of the face, hives, skin rash, itching, hallucinations, changes in behavior, severe confusion or tiredness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, drowsiness, dizziness or weakness, dry mouth, nausea or vomiting, constipation, headache, & blurred vision.

Now it’s time to hear from the most accurate sources…former users

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/real-life-stories/prescription-drug-use.html

Anti-Depressants: Do they work?

Conclusion

The abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise.

Abusing prescription drugs is not only potentially harmful to your health, but could in fact kill you.

Know what you are taking before you take it and consider the risks.