On the streets and in medicine cabinets
The opioid epidemic continues to grip the nation, and kids are not immune. The threat can come in the form of prescription painkillers stocked in ordinary Americans’ medicine cabinets or heroin sold in high school parking lots. Methadone, used to treat addiction, is becoming part of the problem; super-strong fentanyl prescribed for pain but also illegally manufactured and misused can increase the risk for overdose. Young people in rural areas may be the most vulnerable. Deaths and injuries from opioid misuse were most concentrated in states with large rural populations, according to 2014 study in the American Journal of Public Health. Here are four common opioid drugs and what parents should watch for to protect their kids.
Rx painkillers: abuse potential
Some positive news: Fewer U.S kids are overdosing on prescription opioid painkillers — addictive pills such as hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet) — with rates dipping yearly from 2010 through 2015, according to a March study in the journal Pediatrics. Unfortunately, the study also found the rate of suspected teen suicides by these drugs is rising.
Fentanyl: highly potent
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is up to 100 times more powerful than heroin. Prescription fentanyl is available as a generic drug or in brands including Duragesic, Actiq and Fentora. It’s used to treat severe, chronic, hard-to-control pain such as in late stages of cancer. The most commonly used form of fentanyl, outside of hospitals, is a transdermal skin patch. Prescriptions of other forms, including tablets, nasal sprays and lozenges, can only be written by specially licensed physicians and filled at designated pharmacies. However, from 2013 to 2014, U.S. synthetic opioid deaths — largely from fentanyl — increased by nearly 80 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Aug. 26, 2016, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Fentanyl-laced heroin on the street is a growing concern.
Heroin: deadliest
From the same drug family as prescription opioids, heroin topped the list of deadliest U.S. opioids in 2015, causing nearly 13,000 fatalities, according to a Dec. 2016 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heroin, which can be sniffed, smoked or injected, may attract kids who were previously prescribed opioid painkillers, perhaps for a bad athletic injury, and developed an addiction. Parents can spot certain signs. Opioid drugs suppress the central nervous system, explains Dr. Laura Offutt, founder of the teen health website Real Talk With Dr. Offutt. Heroin slows movement and physical activity, she says. “It slows breathing. And you may notice that kids have pinpoint pupils because of the way it affects the nervous system in the eyes.”
Methadone: helpful and harmful
Methadone is used to treat severe pain in advanced cancer and to help people with heroin and prescription painkiller addictions wean off the drugs. Unfortunately, methadone itself also has the potential for abuse, including among young people who may get their hands on it without a prescription. Like other prescription opioids, methadone should be stored safely, locked and out of reach of other family members and visitors. Dispose of unused methadone by flushing it down the toilet, advises the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.
Naloxone: Rescue medicine
First responders, police departments and state departments of education are stocking up on naloxone, also known as Narcan. A standard treatment in hospitals, naloxone can quickly reverse an opioid overdose and in that way, save lives. The response is only temporary and people who receive naloxone must immediately go to the emergency room for follow-up care. Now available as a nasal spray for use by nonprofessionals, naloxone can be obtained in some pharmacies in participating states without a prescription.
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4 Opioid Drugs Parents Should Have on Their Radar originally appeared on usnews.com
