HHS HealthBeat (September 22, 2009)

Hurting teens and bad choices

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A survey of high school seniors indicates many have taken  prescription opioid drugs such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and codeine without getting a prescription.

Sean Esteban McCabe of the University of Michigan examined data on more than 12,000 students.

About 12 percent reported misusing opioids. More than half of them said they did it to get high or to experiment.

But he says 45 percent said they did it to relieve physical pain.

[Sean Esteban McCabe speaks] "Parents and students are advised to seek appropriate pain management and careful therapeutic monitoring from a professional, instead of taking these medications on their own."

For instance, they don’t know the side effects and they could wind up hooked.

The study in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011