How To Help Fight Youth Prescription Drug Abuse

Millions of Americans suffer daily with chronic pain.  This pain can make even the simplest tasks difficult and significantly impede everyday life.  Many who endure chronic pain must turn to their doctors for relief.  The solution is most often to take a pill.  

Although prescription opioids have their place in pain relief, it’s clear doctors have been overprescribing in recent years.  Since 1999, sales of these medications have quadrupled.  In 2013, enough opioid prescriptions were written for every adult in America to have their own bottle of pills.

Regular use can cause extreme dependence and lead to overdose and death.  Between 1999 and 2014, 165,000 people died from opioid overdose.  They are also often a stepping stone to street drugs such as heroin.  Sadly, four out of five heroin users started out by abusing prescription painkillers.

Opioid Abuse in Youth: The Facts

A group with severe exposure to the opioid epidemic are youth.  Although youth can be prescribed opioids, abuse is most often from non-prescribed pills.  In 2014, 467,000 youth used nonprescription painkillers and 168,000 were clinically addicted.

So why do young people use opioids?  They might believe pills prescribed by a doctor are safer or more acceptable than street drugs.  It is also believed that opioids are popular with the younger generation becasause  they use it to help them cope with social, emotional and academic stress.  This can lead to destructive patterns and life-long dependency.

Reducing Opioid Abuse

There are several ways to reduce prescription drug abuse in youth.  One way is to keep the pills out of their hands by storing opioids in locked containers.  The most common method for minors to receive prescription medications is through a friend or relative.  Never give prescriptions to someone else.  This increases the chance of pills ending up in the hands of kids, encouraging abuse and addiction.

It’s also important to properly discard unused or expired pills.  One way to throw out opioids is to crush them and combine the waste in a bag with unwanted materials, such as used coffee grounds.  The best way to remove opioids from the home is through a drug take-back program.  There are certified drop-off centers around the country where you can take your medications for safe disposal.

Our solution to cut opioid abuse in youth calls for a shift in the way pain is treated.  This starts with LidoPro®.  LidoPro® Ointment and LidoPro® Patch are topical pain relievers, meaning each ingredient is absorbed through the skin.  Our formula acts on your specific pain areas to bring rapid and lasting relief.  LidoPro® is safer for the consumer and non-addictive, limiting your child’s exposure to potential abuse.  We pride ourselves in creating sustainable pain relief products designed to limit the circulation of opioids.  To join our effort against prescription drug abuse in youth, please contact us to learn more and order today.