Did you know that giving your teen sleep or anxiety medications to help them sleep or calm them down might be doing them more harm than good? A recent study by the University of Michigan shows that teens who are prescribed medications for sleep or anxiety are up to 12 times more likely to abuse those drugs than teens who are not prescribed medications.
The study also found that teens who were prescribed medications for sleep or anxiety were 10 times more likely to abuse the medications within two years to get high or to experiment than those without prescriptions.
Parents should be monitoring their teen’s intake. Monitoring refills leads to safeguarding your teen from the dangers of using and abusing prescription pills. Parents should look for signs of a teen using prescription medication for recreational use. If your teen is quickly going through refills then you may want to consult with them on their usage.
Studies have shown that teen perceptions about the risk and social acceptability of a particular substance will affect their decision to try it or not. In the case of prescription drugs, the common misinformed idea of many kids is that the medicine is made for health-related reasons, is approved by the FDA, comes from a sterile lab and is used by family members. This incorrect idea that taking these drugs to get high would be safe increases the likelihood of a young person deciding to try them.
Children who learn a lot about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to use drugs than those who do not get that critical message at home. This is why parents need to educate their children on the dangers of abusing such medications.
