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04-01-2007, 07:23 AM
INVERNESS - Earlier this year, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office issued an alarming warning to parents: Your child could be raiding the family's medicine cabinet and getting high on gelcaps.
School resource deputies reported seeing an increase in the number of middle and high school students abusing Coricidin HBP, an over-the-counter cough and cold medication.
They said teenagers sought out the drug for its main ingredient, known as DMX, which gave them a high that induced hallucinations. The experience is sometimes described as "robotripping."
But taken in large doses, the drug can cause difficulty breathing, seizures and, sometimes, death.
The Sheriff's Office faxed warnings to all the pharmacies in the county, asking them to keep a close eye on nonprescription cold and cough medicines. Apparently, teens were stealing packets of tablets and bottles of syrup from store shelves.
"While teens often need their 'space,' a parent may be the only thing between them and a trip to the emergency room," the warning to parents read.
The Sheriff's Office called Coricidin one of the most abused over-the-counter medications and a "disturbing trend among teens, not only across the nation but right here in Citrus County."
It added: "If you ask kids if they know what Dextromethorphan (DMX) is, most of them will say 'no,' but if you ask them if they've ever heard of Coricidin or 'Triple C,' they'll probably tell you 'yes.' "
Not only were law officers now telling parents to watch the beer in the refrigerator, but also to keep tabs on the medicine cabinet.
The general warning of kids abusing over-the-counter drugs almost knocked parents off their seats at a PTA meeting last year. One mother was so stunned she said she wondered whether she should put the family's medicine cabinet under lock and key.
Sgt. Kevin Purinton, who oversees the school resource deputies in Citrus, calls illicit use of over-the-counter and prescription medicines among teens one of the most worrisome trends in the county.
At least seven students were arrested last school year for possession of such substances. That number was just short of the eight students who were jailed for alcohol possession the same year. Over the past four years, however, student arrests for possession of controlled substances have fallen, with a high of 17 arrests in the 2004-05 school year.
It's difficult to say how medicine abuse among teens in Citrus County compares with other counties in west-central Florida. Arrest data from other counties was not available at the time of publication.
But anecdotal evidence offers a glimpse of the notoriety of over-the-counter medicines in schools and how other districts are dealing with the problem.
In Pasco County, six of the 12 students who were recommended for expulsion at a School Board meeting in November had been caught with prescription or over-the-counter drugs on school grounds.
Of those six caught with drugs, three came from the same middle school. They were girls, ages 12 through 15, including one who brought Adderal pills to school and handed them out to other students. Adderal requires a prescription and is used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder or narcolepsy.
At another middle school, a 13-year-old boy was recommended for expulsion for accepting two Adderal pills from another student while riding the bus to school.
In another case, a 15-year-old high school girl faced expulsion for bringing to school a single-edge razor blade and several different types of pills, including seven Excedrin headache tablets and half a yellow pill labeled Seroquel, which is prescribed for treatment of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Lizette Alexander, director of student services in Pasco, said earlier this year that schools are aware of the rising popularity of self-medication and are cracking down on offenders
"It's hard to pull a fold over our eyes," she said.
Alexander worries about students who don't consider the dangers.
"Some kids are caught with pills and they have no idea what they're holding," she said. "A lot of these drugs are extremely damaging."
Some officials suspect Citrus has a higher rate of teens abusing medication because so many children are living with grandparents or older relatives who are more likely to use prescription medicines.
In urban areas, teens buy prescription pills like the antidepressant Xanax from dealers, Purinton said. In Citrus, teens go for the medicine cabinet.
Teachers are trained to look for the telling signs.
They watch for students with dilated pupils, impaired judgment, loss of coordination, dizziness and erratic behavior. Any student suspected of self-medicating is referred to the school clinic for observation while a school resource deputy summons parents.
Realizing their child's life could be in danger, Purinton said, most parents are forthcoming about any drugs they keep in the house. Several times students have been rushed to the hospital and had their stomachs pumped.
Unlike marijuana users, however, students who get high on medicines are harder to spot.
"I can guarantee you that we're only catching a fraction of the users," Purinton said. "Prescription drugs are so much more difficult to detect. Some students won't have a reaction."
Purinton said the county has tried to stay on top of national trends, but the bulk of the work done has been to keep students free of alcohol and marijuana.
"Kids have gotten smarter and switched to prescription drugs," he said. "They're trying to get their hands on them a lot quicker."
Schools are making headway in combating the problem. The Sheriff's Office educates students about the dangers of drugs, including legal medicines, as part of its FOCUS program at the elementary schools.
After the warning about Coricidin, it seems parents are also the targets of an education campaign.
"I think parents are naive and believe that their kids are not going to take anything that's harmful," Purinton said. "As parents, it's our responsibility to keep these medications locked up or out of sight."
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/01/Citrus/O...nter_is_u.shtml (http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/01/Citrus/Over_the_counter_is_u.shtml)
School resource deputies reported seeing an increase in the number of middle and high school students abusing Coricidin HBP, an over-the-counter cough and cold medication.
They said teenagers sought out the drug for its main ingredient, known as DMX, which gave them a high that induced hallucinations. The experience is sometimes described as "robotripping."
But taken in large doses, the drug can cause difficulty breathing, seizures and, sometimes, death.
The Sheriff's Office faxed warnings to all the pharmacies in the county, asking them to keep a close eye on nonprescription cold and cough medicines. Apparently, teens were stealing packets of tablets and bottles of syrup from store shelves.
"While teens often need their 'space,' a parent may be the only thing between them and a trip to the emergency room," the warning to parents read.
The Sheriff's Office called Coricidin one of the most abused over-the-counter medications and a "disturbing trend among teens, not only across the nation but right here in Citrus County."
It added: "If you ask kids if they know what Dextromethorphan (DMX) is, most of them will say 'no,' but if you ask them if they've ever heard of Coricidin or 'Triple C,' they'll probably tell you 'yes.' "
Not only were law officers now telling parents to watch the beer in the refrigerator, but also to keep tabs on the medicine cabinet.
The general warning of kids abusing over-the-counter drugs almost knocked parents off their seats at a PTA meeting last year. One mother was so stunned she said she wondered whether she should put the family's medicine cabinet under lock and key.
Sgt. Kevin Purinton, who oversees the school resource deputies in Citrus, calls illicit use of over-the-counter and prescription medicines among teens one of the most worrisome trends in the county.
At least seven students were arrested last school year for possession of such substances. That number was just short of the eight students who were jailed for alcohol possession the same year. Over the past four years, however, student arrests for possession of controlled substances have fallen, with a high of 17 arrests in the 2004-05 school year.
It's difficult to say how medicine abuse among teens in Citrus County compares with other counties in west-central Florida. Arrest data from other counties was not available at the time of publication.
But anecdotal evidence offers a glimpse of the notoriety of over-the-counter medicines in schools and how other districts are dealing with the problem.
In Pasco County, six of the 12 students who were recommended for expulsion at a School Board meeting in November had been caught with prescription or over-the-counter drugs on school grounds.
Of those six caught with drugs, three came from the same middle school. They were girls, ages 12 through 15, including one who brought Adderal pills to school and handed them out to other students. Adderal requires a prescription and is used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder or narcolepsy.
At another middle school, a 13-year-old boy was recommended for expulsion for accepting two Adderal pills from another student while riding the bus to school.
In another case, a 15-year-old high school girl faced expulsion for bringing to school a single-edge razor blade and several different types of pills, including seven Excedrin headache tablets and half a yellow pill labeled Seroquel, which is prescribed for treatment of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Lizette Alexander, director of student services in Pasco, said earlier this year that schools are aware of the rising popularity of self-medication and are cracking down on offenders
"It's hard to pull a fold over our eyes," she said.
Alexander worries about students who don't consider the dangers.
"Some kids are caught with pills and they have no idea what they're holding," she said. "A lot of these drugs are extremely damaging."
Some officials suspect Citrus has a higher rate of teens abusing medication because so many children are living with grandparents or older relatives who are more likely to use prescription medicines.
In urban areas, teens buy prescription pills like the antidepressant Xanax from dealers, Purinton said. In Citrus, teens go for the medicine cabinet.
Teachers are trained to look for the telling signs.
They watch for students with dilated pupils, impaired judgment, loss of coordination, dizziness and erratic behavior. Any student suspected of self-medicating is referred to the school clinic for observation while a school resource deputy summons parents.
Realizing their child's life could be in danger, Purinton said, most parents are forthcoming about any drugs they keep in the house. Several times students have been rushed to the hospital and had their stomachs pumped.
Unlike marijuana users, however, students who get high on medicines are harder to spot.
"I can guarantee you that we're only catching a fraction of the users," Purinton said. "Prescription drugs are so much more difficult to detect. Some students won't have a reaction."
Purinton said the county has tried to stay on top of national trends, but the bulk of the work done has been to keep students free of alcohol and marijuana.
"Kids have gotten smarter and switched to prescription drugs," he said. "They're trying to get their hands on them a lot quicker."
Schools are making headway in combating the problem. The Sheriff's Office educates students about the dangers of drugs, including legal medicines, as part of its FOCUS program at the elementary schools.
After the warning about Coricidin, it seems parents are also the targets of an education campaign.
"I think parents are naive and believe that their kids are not going to take anything that's harmful," Purinton said. "As parents, it's our responsibility to keep these medications locked up or out of sight."
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/01/Citrus/O...nter_is_u.shtml (http://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/01/Citrus/Over_the_counter_is_u.shtml)