1. Pop positivity, not pills.
Rx Drug Abuse
Welcome: PEERx is a teen prescription drug abuse prevention initiative developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

2. Outline Pre-Survey Post-Survey Depressants Stimulants Marijuana
Opioids
Stimulants
Depressants
Marijuana
Outline

3. Myths about Rx Drugs
Myth: Prescription drugs are safer to abuse than other drugs because they are prescribed by a doctor.
Myth: Borrowing a friend’s stimulant medications such as Adderall or Ritalin to do better in school is okay
Myth: Unlike underage binge drinking and marijuana use, misusing and sharing prescription medications is legal
Myth: Prescription drugs are safer to abuse than other drugs because they are prescribed by a doctor.
Fact: When used as prescribed, medications are safe and effective. However, when used in ways not prescribed by a doctor, their effects can be as dangerous as those from illegal drugs.
Note: Prescription opioid painkillers affect the brain in the same way that heroin does. Painkillers, if abused, can lead to many of the same negative consequences that heroin does, including addiction and accidental overdose.
Myth: Using stimulant medications such as Adderall or Ritalin can help teens do well in school by improving focus and energy.
Fact: There is no evidence that stimulants help students do better on tests. What’s more, ADHD medications affect the brains of people with ADHD differently than the brains of people without ADHD.
Learn more:

4. What is prescription (Rx) drug abuse?
About Rx Drug Abuse
What is prescription (Rx) drug abuse?
Prescription drug abuse is when someone takes a medication inappropriately, such as:
Without a prescription
In a way other than as prescribed
For the “high” elicited

5. The Danger Zone

6. This represents about half of all ED visits related to drug misuse.
Every day in the United States, 2,000 teenagers abuse Rx drugs for the first time.
The Drug Abuse Warning Network monitored emergency department visits in selected areas across the Nation through 2011.
Reported that more than 1.2 million ED visits in 2011 could be attributed to nonmedical use of prescription drugs.
This represents about half of all ED visits related to drug misuse.
Roughly 488,000 of these ED visits involved prescription opioid pain relievers
422,000 visits involved CNS depressants
Sources:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings, NSDUH Series H-44, HHS Publication No. (SMA) Rockville, MD: 2012.
Rx drugs are the most abused drug by teens after alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco:
Other facts:
In 2007, the number of overdose deaths from prescription opioids outnumbered deaths from heroin and cocaine combined. More:
The Problem

7. 2013 Monitoring the Future Survey
Johnston, L.D.; O’Malley, P.M.; Bachman, J.G.; and Schulenberg, J.E. Monitoring the Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings, Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Available at 
Infographic:
The percentage of 12th graders who have used these drugs in the past year:
5.3% of high school seniors reported using Vicodin for nonmedical reasons in the past year.
7.4% of high school seniors reported using Adderall for nonmedical reasons in the past year.
From 2009 to 2013, 57.2% of high school seniors who used Rx drugs nonmedically in the past year reported getting them for free from friends and family, while 33.6% bought from a friend or relative, and 19.5% took them from a friend or relative without asking. Please note that respondents could choose more than one category.

8. Commonly Abused Rx Drugs
Opioids—Usually prescribed to treat pain
Examples: Vicodin, OxyContin, and Percocet
Why Abused: To get high, to help with pain
Effects: Drowsiness, slowed breathing
Note: Prescription opioids affect the same parts of the brain as heroin and can lead to heroin abuse.
Stimulants—Most often prescribed to treat ADHD
Examples: Dexedrine, Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta
Why Abused: To get high, to help with concentration
Effects: Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Note: Rx stimulants interact with the brains of people with ADHD differently than the brains of people who don’t have ADHD. More:
Central nervous system (CNS) depressants—Prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep disorders
Examples: Valium, Xanax, Ambien, Lunesta, and Mebaral
Why Abused: To get high, to help with sleep or anxiety
Effects: Sleepiness, calming sensation
More detailed fact sheets about each of these types of Rx drugs can be found online:
Rx opioids:
Rx stimulants:
CNS depressants:

9. The truth about drugs STOP for a Video

10. Opioids

11. What are opioids?
Are chemically similar to endorphins – opioids that our body makes naturally to relieve pain
Prescription opioids usually come in pill form and are given to treat severe pain
Dependence 
and addiction 
are still potential risks when taking prescription opioids
Dependence means you feel withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug
Continued use can can lead to addiction, where you continue to use despite negative consequences. 
Happy Pills, Hillbilly Heroin, OC, Oxy, Percs, or Vikes

13. How many teens use prescription opioids?

14. Conditions they are used to treat
Who should be using Rx opioids?
Cough
OxyContin
Percocet
Vicoden
Dilaudid
Methadone
Conditions they are used to treat
Kadian
MS Contin
Condeine
Duragesic.
Acute and Chronic Pain

15. Taking the opioid prescription to get high
What is prescription opioid misuse?
You should never:
Mixing them with alcohol or certain other drugs
Taking an opioid medication in a way other than prescribed—for instance, taking more than your prescribed dose or taking it more often, or crushing pills into powder to snort or inject the drug
People misuse prescription opioid medications by taking them in a way that is not intended
Taking someone else’s prescription, even if it is for a legitimate medical purpose like relieving pain
Taking the opioid prescription to get high

16. What happens to your brain and body when you use prescription opioids?
Opioids receptors, on nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, gut, and other organs.
When these drugs attach to their receptors, they block pain messages sent from the body through the spinal cord to the brain.
Opioid receptors are also located in the brain’s reward center, where they cause a large release of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
This causes a strong feeling of relaxation and euphoria (extreme good feelings).
Repeated surges of dopamine in the reward center from drug-taking can lead to addiction.

17. What happens to your brain and body when you use prescription opioids?
In addition to pain relief and euphoria, other effects of opioids include:
Decreased heart rate
Increased confusion
Decreased breathing
itching
nausea (feeling sick to the stomach)
constipation

18. Cramping abdominal pain
What are withdrawal symptoms?
Restlessness
Anxiety
Sweating
Cramping abdominal pain
Fast heart rate
Excessive yawning
Insomnia
Tremor

19. Can you overdose or die if you use prescription opioids?
Yes
In fact, taking just one large dose could cause the body to stop breathing.
Deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs have been increasing since the early 1990s, largely due to the increase in misuse of prescription opioid pain relievers.
Nearly 23,000 people died from an overdose of a prescription pain medication in 2015, with alarming increases among young people ages 15 to 24. 
The risk of overdose and death increase if you combine opioids with alcohol or other medications that also slow breathing, such as Benzodiazepines (e.g. Xanax).
Even one tablet is enough to overdose!

20. Blue Lips and Fingernails Vomiting or Gurgling Sound
STOP: How to Recognize Signs of an Overdose
Shaking
Slow Breathing
Cold Damp Skin
Blue Lips and Fingernails
Vomiting or Gurgling Sound

21. You will be protected by the Good Samaritan law!
Call 911
STAT

22. Prescription drugs kill one person every 19 minutes
STOP
for a Video
Prescription drugs kill one person every 19 minutes

23. Stimulants

24. What are stimulants?
Stimulants increase—or "stimulate"—activities and processes in the body
Stimulants have chemical structures that are similar to certain key brain chemicals
Dopamine and norepinephrine
Stimulants boost the effects of these chemicals in the brain and body
Common stimulants include amphetamines (Adderall)
and methylphenidate (Ritalin)
There are two commonly misused types of stimulants: amphetamines (e.g., Adderall) and methylphenidate (e.g., Ritalin). In the past, stimulants were used to treat a variety of conditions, including asthma and other breathing problems, obesity, and health problems that affect your nervous system. Now, because the risk for misuse and addiction is better understood, doctors prescribe them less often and only for a few health conditions. They are still prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy (a sleep disorder), and, in some instances, depression that has not responded to other treatments.
Bennies, Black Beauties, Hearts, Roses, Skippy, Speed, The Smart Drug, Uppers, and Vitamin R

25. How many teens use prescription stimulants?

26. Conditions they are used to treat
Who should be using Rx stimulants
Depression
Narcolepsy
Conditions they are used to treat
ADHD

27. Stimulants have been misused as an "academic performance enhancer“
What is prescription stimulant misuse?
You should never:
Take someone else’s prescription stimulant medication
Take a prescription stimulant medication in a way other than prescribed
Take the prescription stimulant to get high
Mix them with alcohol and certain other drugs
Some teens are prescribed stimulants to manage their ADHD. But if they share their medication with friends, it is considered misuse
Some people who misuse them to get "high" crush the tablets and snort or inject them
This can be dangerous,
 ingredients in the tablets can block small blood vessels, damaging the heart and other organs
Stimulants have been misused as an "academic performance enhancer“

28. What happens to your brain and body when you use prescription stimulants?
Stimulant use can have side effects, even when prescribed by a doctor.
Taking high doses of a stimulant can cause:
Physical symptoms: hair loss, skin problems, chronic itching, profuse sweating, teeth grinding, extreme fatigue
Cognitive symptoms: paranoia, impaired judgment, hallucinations, psychosis

29. What are withdrawal symptoms?
Irritability
Hallucinations
Paranoia
Fatigue
Depression
Impaired memory
Insomnia or hypersomnia
Body aches
Drug cravings
Unpleasant dreams
Withdrawal from stimulants is characterized by a dysphoric mood—feeling unhappy—and the presence of two or more of the following symptoms
Jittery reactions
Anxiety
Chills
Dehydration
Dulled senses
Slowed speech
Loss of interest
Slowed movements
Slow heart rate

30. Can you overdose or die if you use prescription stimulants?
Taking high doses of a stimulant can lead to:
Short term effects: malnutrition, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, kidney failure, short-term memory loss, financial problems
Serious outcomes: seizures, heart failure, death
Deaths from an overdose of prescription drugs have been on the rise since the early 1990s.

31. Depressants

32. What are depressants?
Depressants slow down (or “depress”) the normal activity that goes on in the brain and spinal cord.
Prescribed for people who are anxious or can't sleep.
Depressants can be divided into three groups:
Barbiturates
Benzodiazepine
Sleep Medications
A-minus, Barbs, Candy, Downers, Phennies, Red Birds, Reds, Sleeping Pills, Tooies, Tranks, Yellows, Yellow Jackets, Yellows, and Zombie Pills

33. How many teens use prescription depressants?

34. Acute Stress Reactions Conditions they are used to treat
Who should be using Rx depressants?
Xanax, Valium
Acute Stress Reactions
Panic Attacks
Pentobarbital
Seizure Disorder
Conditions they are used to treat
Ambien
Sleep Disorders

35. What is prescription depressant misuse?
You should never:
Take a depressant with other drugs or to counteract the effects of other drugs, such as stimulants
Depressants should NOT be combined with any medicine or substance that causes sleepiness including:
Prescription pain medicines
OTC cold and allergy medicines
Alcohol
Taking a depressant medication in a way other than prescribed by their doctor
Depressants usually come in pill or capsule form. People misuse depressants by taking them in a way that is not intended
Taking someone else’s prescription depressant medication
Taking a depressant for fun

36. What happens to your brain and body when you use prescription depressants?
Most depressants affect the brain by slowing down brain activity.
But as depressants slow down brain activity, they cause other effects:
Slurred speech
Decreased breathing, which can lead to overdose and even death.
Increased sleepiness
Increased disorientation and lack of coordination
These effects can lead to serious accidents or injuries. Misuse of depressants can also lead to physical dependence.

37. Can be life threatening
What are withdrawal symptoms?
Insomnia
Weakness
Nausea
Agitation
High body temperature
Delirium
Hallucinations
Convulsions
Can be life threatening

38. Can you overdose or die if you use misuse prescription depressants?
Yes, you can die if you misuse depressants.
The risk for overdose and death are increased when depressants are combined with alcohol or other drugs.
More than 8,700 people died from an overdose of a benzodiazepine, such as Valium or Xanax, in 2015.

39. Marijuana

40. What are effects of marijuana use?
Circulatory
Anxiety/
Paranoia
Increased
heart rate
Respiratory
Dry mouth
Schizophrenia/
Psychosis
Nausea/vomiting
Short & long term
People can have a heart attack right after the use of marijuana – there is a 5x higher risk.
Can increase bleeding, lower blood pressure, and affect your blood sugar
Marijuana is an harmful all around. Not only does it get to your brain, it also affects your lungs, and your heart.
Emphasize all of the different heart conditions caused by marijuana.
FYI
Dry, red eyes
Digestive
Bronchitis, emphysema, COPD
Visual
↓ in sperm count,
fetal malformations
Reproductive

41. Short term effects of marijuana include:
How does marijuana affect your brain and body?
Short term effects of marijuana include:
dizziness, shallow breathing, red eyes and dilated pupils, dry mouth, increased appetite, slowed reaction time
Harmful effects of marijuana include:
5x higher risk of having a heart attack immediately after using marijuana, increased bleeding risk, lowered blood pressure, altered blood sugar level

42. What should I do if someone I know needs help?
If you, or a friend, need to speak with someone, please call:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at TALK
They don't just talk about suicide—they cover a lot of issues and will help put you in touch with someone close by.
If you need information on treatment and where you can find it, you can call:
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator at HELP or visit