PRESCRIPTIONS CAN BE DEADLY

Taking more than one type prescription pain medication with a
relaxant, a practice called poly-drugging, has become a deadly
scenario of abuse that narcotics enforcement experts are seeing more
and more often.

In August of 2003, a 19-year-old man from Orange Grove died in his bed
at home after taking a series of prescription pills he and a friend
drove seven hours to Houston, Texas, to get. They knew a doctor there
who would readily write the prescriptions.

Gulfport police Capt. Pat Pope said the young man overdosed on a
relatively low dose of each medication, but he had combined the drugs
over several hours. The drugs slowed his breathing to the point that
he died in his sleep.

"At 2 p.m., he takes two Lortab. At 4 p.m., he took a Soma. At 5 he
took two more Lortab. At 6 he took a half a methadone tablet and went
to sleep," Pope said. "It's a typical drug abuse death. Multiple drugs
and falling asleep. All the drugs together just shut him down. He had
no intention of dying, trust me."

That scenario, and children getting prescription drugs for recreation
from the medicine cabinet or from friends, are growing concerns among
people who deal with juvenile drug abuse.

Safer Than Street Drugs?

One of the biggest myths that fuels this abuse is that somehow
prescription drugs are safer when abused than street drugs.

The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use, released last month, showed a 5
percent jump in recreational use of prescription pain relievers among
people 12 and older, indicating that 31.2 million Americans reported
using those drugs for non-medical reasons. That's 13 percent of
Americans 12 and older.

Young adults, ages 18 to 25, showed a 15 percent increase in the use
of these drugs illegally, according to reports on the survey. Some of
the reason for the increase is that more pain medications are being
prescribed nationwide. Another is that more attention is now being
paid to prescription drug abuse.

But Pope, who is in charge of the Coastal Narcotics Enforcement Team,
said there are high school students in South Mississippi who don't
consider taking their parents' pills to be drug abuse.

Pope said illegal prescription drugs have become the No. 2 choice
among children 12 to 17 who are abusing drugs. Marijuana is No. 1.

"It is the fastest growing drug abuse problem in the U.S. and on the
Coast," Pope said.

While national statistics on adolescent admission to treatment centers
still lists alcohol, marijuana and cocaine as the top drugs,
prescription abuse is gaining attention with the onset of the abuse of
powerful painkillers like OxyContin.

Julie Propst, director of the Jackson County Children's Services
Coalition, quoting from a Hazelden Foundation survey, said
prescription drugs are fueling an "epidemic of addiction." Hazelden is
an international, nonprofit foundation, founded in 1949, that
pioneered a model of care for alcoholism and related diseases that is
used throughout the world today.

According to its National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, in 1969,
265,000 people used pain medications for non-medical purposes, Propst
said. In 2000, is was approximately 2.8 million.

She listed among these morphine, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone or
Vicodin and merperidine or Demerol.

But drugs like Ritalin and Valium are even easier for young teens to
get, and because they are prescribed by a doctor to someone the child
knows, they give the appearance of being safe, law enforcement
officers say.

Knowledge Is Key

Providing better information to parents is one solution to the
problem, drug counselors and law enforcement officers say.

Holding parents responsible for what happens to their prescription
medications is another key.

Experts recommend parents lock away their own medications, heavily
regulate the distribution of their children's, and stay involved in
their children's lives.

"There's not the stigma attached to someone using pharmaceuticals like
there is for someone using crack, methamphetamine or heroin," said Lt.
Chris Loposser, a Gulfport officer also with the Coastal Narcotics
Enforcement Team. "But they are both drug addicts."

"If you're addicted to a drug or narcotic, you're addicted to a drug
or narcotic," he said. "When you take something that's not prescribed
to you, you're taking your life in your own hands as if you are
smoking crack."

Is Your Child Using Drugs?

Because mood swings and unpredictable behavior occur frequently in
adolescence, it is difficult to spot the warning signs of substance
abuse. However, if a child exhibits more than one of the following
signs, it may be an indicator of drug use:

Withdrawn, tired and careless about personal appearance.

Hostile and uncooperative, including lying and emotional
outbursts.

A new group of friends whose identity is not shared with
parents.

Relationships with family members deteriorate.

Grades slip in school; attendance becomes irregular.

Loses interest in hobbies, sports and other favorite
activities.

Eating and sleeping patterns change.

Suddenly into borrowing money or an unexplained appearance of
money.

Difficulty concentrating and lack of coordination.

Avoidance of anyone who might be confrontational.

Secretive phone conversations, hang-up phone calls, disappearance of
small household items or clothing.

The presence of pipes, rolling papers, lighters and eye
drops.

Prescription drugs are missing.