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One in Five High School Students Take Medicines Which Are Not Ordered for Them
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey shows that high school students are taking OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin or Xanax without a doctor’s prescription.
These are either controlled substances or are the types of drugs which must be given in carefully calculated doses for the patient taking them—Adderall and Ritalin are examples of that second grouping.
Interestingly, the survey shows no difference between males and females in this habit.
Many serious consequences can follow. Addiction. Overdose. Death.
“One in five high school students in the United States has taken a prescription medication that was not prescribed for them, a new survey shows.
“Conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the survey covers a variety of risky behaviors among American youth.
“We are very concerned that 20 percent of high school students are reporting this behavior,” said survey author Danice K. Eaton, a research scientist at the CDC. “It can be dangerous to take a prescription drug that hasn’t been prescribed to you.”
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek, June 3, 2010
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Survey, June, 2010
