Talking To Your Kids about Prescription Drug Abuse

Did you know that prescription drug abuse is the second largest category of drug abuse among kids?

There are thousands of rogue Internet pharmacies, and many of these are willing to sell prescription drugs to children. Some websites that we’ve reviewed have fulfilled orders for addictive drugs without a prescription, even when the date of birth indicates that the purchaser is just 13 years old.

As a parent, the two most important things that you can do are: understand the dangers, and talk to your children.

Parental involvement is one of the most important factors in preventing teens from using drugs. There’s no one right way to talk to your kids. Here are some of the things you can say and do to keep prescription drugs out of your kids’ hands.

• Talk to your kids about street drugs and prescription drugs. Used without a physician’s supervision, some prescription drugs can be just as addictive (or deadly) as cocaine, heroin or other “street drugs.”
• Set a good example. If you take prescription drugs, make sure your kids understand that it’s because you went to see a physician and have a valid prescription – and that’s the only acceptable circumstance to use prescription drugs.
• Monitor your kids’ Internet usage. Watch for rogue pharmacy sites. Some of the ones we don’t list here will sell prescription drugs to children with a sham “online consultation” with a "doctor".
• Keep a mental tally of your prescription drugs. Let’s say you have 30 pills, and you’ve taken 12. Why do you only have 11 left?
• When you’re done with your prescription drugs, throw them away. About 60% of kids who abuse prescription drugs take them from friends or family, including unused pills in the medicine chest. Done with your pills? Click here to get more details about how and why to throw them out.