The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

"Out of Reach" is a special documentary created by a teen filmmaker who captures the issue of teen prescription drug abuse as it exists in his world. The issues contained in the film are a reflection of this issue across the country. It was created in collaboration with director Tucker Capps (of A&E's "Intervention") and The Partnership at Drugfree.org 's Medicine Abuse Project. With the holiday's around the corner, it is imperative that parents not only know what is in their medicine cabinets, but also be aware of what their parents (grandparents) have in their homes.  As you visit relatives and friends this holiday season, it can also be an opportunity for your teen/tween to scout out a variety of bathrooms and medicine cabinets. Be an educated parent - you will have safer and healthier kids. Learn more from The Medicine Abuse Project .

Summer is coming and teens will have more free time on their hands.  Parents need to learn as much as they can about over the counter (OTC) medicine abuse, it is just as risky and dangerous as street drugs. What can you do? We can all play a role in ending medicine abuse.  By working together, parents and grandparents, health care providers,  community leaders and educators can truly make a difference. Here are 7 things you can do to help: 1. Take The Pledge. Visit http://www.medicineabuseproject.org 2. Safeguard Your Medicine. Keep prescription medicine in a secure place , count and monitor the number of pills you have and lock up your medicine. 3. Dispose Properly of Your Unused Medicine.   Learn how to safely dispose of medicine at home — and find a medicine take-back site near you. 4. Educate Yourself. Find helpful resources for Parents & Grandparents , Health Care Providers , Communities & Law Enforcement ...

Today, roughly one out of three teenagers knows someone who has abused over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine to get high. Studies show that abuse of prescription and OTC medicines is a problem among today’s teens. Teens might abuse OTC cough medicine because it is affordable and easily available, and teens may believe it is “less dangerous” than illegal drugs. Today, roughly one out of three teenagers knows someone who has abused OTC cough medicine to get high. While millions of Americans rely on OTC cough medicines containing the cough suppressant ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM) for cough relief, some teens ignore labelling instructions and intentionally take large amounts of DXM – sometimes more than 25 times the recommended dose of these medicines – to get high. This means some teens ingest multiple packages or bottles of OTC cough medicines. Learn the side effects   and warning signs   to make sure OTC cough medicine...

OTC - Over the Counter Medicines Drugstore medications can be dangerous! Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines like painkillers and cold medicines are generally safe when used as intended. But if your teen takes them in large doses to get high, they can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Many young people abuse cough medicines containing dextromethorphan, among other drugs. Get the facts on this disturbing trend. 1. The statistics are frightening: Government surveys show that 3.1 million people age 12 and older have misused OTC medications in their lifetime—with nearly 4 percent of misuse among those younger than 18. Nearly 6 percent of 10th graders and roughly 5 percent of high school seniors report abusing cough or cold medicines, particularly those containing dextromethorphan. 2. Dextromethorphan goes by many names: Pharmacists may call this medication DXM. ...

Many teens believe that taking prescription drugs to get high is safer than using street drugs. Be AWARxE! Prescription drugs are dangerous when they are not used correctly as directed by a doctor. One in five teens have taken a prescription drug that was not theirs to get high or to deal with problems. Teens are abusing pain pills (Vicodin®, OxyContin®), stimulants (Ritalin®, Adderall®), and tranquilizers (Xanax®, Valium®). Teens take these drugs right out of the medicine cabinet – at home, at a friend’s house, or when visiting family. 5.2 million people, including kids ages 12 and older, said they had abused prescription pain relievers, as reported in a 2007 survey. More people are visiting the emergency room because they misused prescription pain medication. From 2004 to 2009, emergency room visits due to misusing narcotic pain pills increased by almost 100%. Learn more at AWARE RX . Fact: Prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drugs among 12-13 year olds. ...

Parenting teens is a challenge today. Schools and parents today need to work together to help prevent teen drug use. Fast Facts : Preventing Teen OTC Cough Medicine Abuse - From Home to Homeroom A Wake Up Call for Parents Thirty-three percent of American high school teens know someone who has abused cough medicine, a wake up call for those parents who think that their teen is not affected or being exposed to the issue. Six percent of high school teens admit to abusing cough medicine containing dextromethorphan, or DXM, to get high in the past year. Cough Medicine Abuse Does Not Happen By Accident While safe and effective when taken as directed, teens looking to get high from cough medicine take excessive amounts, sometimes 25 to 50 times the recommended dosage. This translates to multiple bottles or packages of medicine at one time. Teens often abuse cough medicines with other prescription drugs, illicit drugs, or alcohol. Even the best kid in the world doesn't h...

Help Stop Teen Cough Medicine Abuse    Talking to teens about drug abuse is never easy. Did you know teens that learn about the dangers of drugs from their parents are 50 percent less likely to abuse drugs? As parents, we must work together to educate our teens and create awareness about the dangers of substance abuse, including over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine abuse. In 2007, five moms from around the country were brought together to share information with other parents about the largely unknown trend among teens of abusing OTC cough medicines to get high. Since then, the Five Moms campaign has reached more than 24 million parents to help educate them about preventing teen cough medicine abuse, spreading awareness to parents, schools, and communities. And now they want your help! The campaign recently launched the Are You the Next Five Mom? search to look for a new Mom to join the fight against cough medicine abuse. Are you a mom who is passionate a...

Parent denial is probably one of the most common threads many teens have while they are smoking a joint or popping a pill - even downing the cough syrup.  Many parents think their teen is not the bad child - it is the ones they are hanging with - or simply doesn't exist. Being a parent in denial doesn't help anyone, not even the parent.  Since eventually it does catch up with you and you find yourself dealing with a teen that is escalating out of control. With the holidays here, there will be more free time for our teens.  Will they be home alone?  Are you familiar with over the counter (OTC) drug abuse?  Get informed, stay informed and talk to your teens. Teens who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs from their parents are half as likely to abuse drugs. For three years Five Moms has taken on the fight of spreading awareness and educating parents, schools and communities .  One of the moms asked to have her message passed on: My name i...

Isn't it time we take action in our community?  Across the country parents and school nurses are joining forces to help bring awareness to over-the-counter (OTC) medicine abuse and our teens. Your school nurse is your ally and partner in preventing cough medicine abuse in your teens’ lives but so are your friends and community. Do you share information with your family and friends online? Are you active in your teens’ school, their team sports, or your religious community?   If not, start today! Working on the frontline with teens, school nurses know the range of issues parents deal with concerning the health and welfare of teens. Whether you're looking to educate yourself about preventing teen cough medicine abuse or searching for advice on how to talk to your teen about the risks, the articles below, written by school nurses around the country, will help you get informed and start talking. Home to Homeroom Digest: Article 1: "Not My Kid" Isn'...

As a Parent Advocate , I am frequently asked to post current events that can help you be an educated parent and raise safer children. Today’s generation of teens as well as the challenges of parenting can be overwhelming. I recently posted an article on The Examiner about the dangers of Inhalant Abuse . These are items that can be found in your home and kids today have learned how to use them to ”get high.” Today we are talking about cough medicine abuse. One of several parents is sharing her story with us. Please take the time to learn more about this growing trend. As with inhalants, these items can be easily located in your home and simply purchased at your local stores. Posted with permission from Mom, Misty Fetko: My name is Misty Fetko. I am a registered nurse, mom of two, and the newest member of the Five Moms: Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse campaign. As I have been told, you have been one of the biggest allies of the Stop Medicine Abuse program, and I speak for everyone who’s...

Community Impact on OTC Cough Medicine Abuse Posted by Five Mom, Hilda Morales , on Friday, July 10, 2009 The summer heat means spending lots of time outdoors at community parks, pools, and events. No matter where you live, everyone savors the summer months when the crazy pace of life generally slows down and families get to spend more time together. Busy families also find they are likely to spend more time in their community, attending sporting events, picnics, or concerts. It’s a reassuring and comforting feeling to be a part of a community of people that you identify with and feel a connection to in a meaningful way. This connection can play an important role in the fight against over-the-counter cough medicine abuse. Take a look at how one community assessed the risk factors that contribute to drug abuse in teenagers. It is easy to see how communities have a great deal of impact on the risky behaviors of their teens. In this article, we have taken a deeper look at ways our own co...

Source: Stop Medicine Abuse Recent studies among middle and high school aged kids across the country show a disturbing form of substance abuse among teens: the intentional abuse of otherwise beneficial medications, both prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC), to get high. Teens who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs from their parents are half as likely to abuse drugs. According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, one in five teens reports having abused a prescription drug to get high. Where OTC medicines are concerned, data from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America indicate that one in 10 teens reports having abused OTC cough medicines to get high, and 28 percent know someone who has tried it. The ingredient the teens are abusing in OTC cough medicines is dextromethorphan, or DXM. When used according to label directions, DXM is a safe and effective ingredient approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is found in well over 100 brand-name and store-brand...

I was asked by caring parents and individuals to give people encouraging news. StopMedicineAbuse is making a difference in creating awareness in parents and helping open up the lines of communication with their teens and tweens today. Although almost two-thirds parents have talked to their teens about cough medicine abuse, a large number still have not had this critical conversation. To help alert these parents, many OTC cough medicines will now feature the Stop Medicine Abuse educational icon (see above icon) on the packaging. Look for them on Facebook and join their Fan Club Group to stay updated. How can you help? More Parents Talking with Their Teens about Cough Medicine Abuse Posted by Five Mom, Christy Crandell , on Monday, May 11, 2009 Our efforts to educate parents about medicine abuse have reached thousands of families in the United States. With your help, more parents than ever are learning about this risky teen substance abuse behavior and are talking with their teens. Ac...

Source: StopMedicineAbuse Welcome to the Five Moms : Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse Campaign Learn about teen cough medicine abuse.Share information about abuse. First launched in May 2007, the Five Moms Campaign has reached over 24 million parents with these basic messages to parents about preventing teen cough medicine abuse. When the campaign launched, teen cough medicine abuse was on the increase. Now, nationwide statistics point to a slight decrease. That’s great news, but more work has to be done to eliminate this type of substance abuse behavior among teens. CHPA brought together five moms—a pediatric nurse practitioner, an accountant, a D.A.R.E. officer, an educator, and an author—from different backgrounds and from all over the country to encourage parents to get involved in stopping cough medicine abuse . And now Five Moms is part of the StopMedicineAbuse.org effort. Join the campaign . Membership is free and entitles you to the monthly e-newsletter and occasional e-mail updat...