Calls upon U.S. Congress to Join in this Fight to Stop Medicine Abuse
Dr. Drew Pinsky, a nationally renowned drug abuse expert, and the Five Moms, five exceptional women dedicated to spreading the word about the dangers of cough medicine abuse, are speaking out to educate parents and congressional staff on Capitol Hill about the issue of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine abuse among teens and how to prevent it through education.
While OTC cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM) are safe and effective when used as directed, they can be dangerous when abused in extreme amounts to get high. Dr. Drew and the Five Moms want parents of teens to know that the ABCs of preventing cough medicine abuse in their family are:
A - Recognize that Abuse of OTC cough medicine is an issue among teens. Parents may think, "not my teen," but one in 10 teens reports having abused OTC cough medicines to get high and 28 percent know someone who has tried it.
B - Be aware of the warning signs. Some of the warning signs parents should look for include:
-- Empty cough medicine boxes or bottles in the trash of your child's room or in your child's backpack
-- Missing boxes or bottles of medication from the medicine cabinet
-- Changes in friends, physical appearance, or sleeping or eating patterns
-- Loss of interest in hobbies or favorite activities
-- Hearing your child use certain slang terms related to DXM abuse, such as Dex, Skittling, Tussing, Robo-Tripping, Triple Cs, etc.
C - Communicate - talk to your teen about the dangers of abuse. Kids who learn about the dangers of drug abuse from their parents are half as likely to abuse drugs. Parents can visit StopMedicineAbuse.org where they can access resources they need to talk about the issue.