TAMPA, FL--It could start with something as simple as mouthwash. Dr. Cynthia Lewis-Younger, with Poison Control in Tampa, says kids and teens know there's alcohol in mouthwash. She says this one in particular is about a quarter alcohol and young people will consume this like a drink.
"And it's possible for young people to buy this legally."Other drugs easy to buy and easy to abuse: cough and cold medications.
"The most commonly abused substance, other than the prescription medications would be the cough and cold medications that contain a drug called Dextromethorphan and they call that a number of things like Triple C's, Robotripping, things like that."
Dextromethorphan is available in capsule form or as a liquid and can be easily bought by anyone in a drug or convenient store.
"Ok, these are over the counter cough and cold preparations that contain a drug called Pseudoephedrine. These have become very difficult to purchase, and require a lot of identification in order to be able to purchase them because they have been used to make methamphetamine, illegal methamphetamine."
Lewis-Younger says teens between 12 and 20 are the primary abusers, and she warns parents may even be enabling them by leaving old prescription medications around.
"Well they abuse them in any number of ways, some of them take high doses at one time, there are reports of what they call pharm parties, where they put everything together and people just take a drug without knowing what it is. That can be especially dangerous because sometimes the drug will include things like very strong heart medications and other things that can potentially kill people."
Lewis-Younger says actor Heath Ledger is a good example of a younger person who took a lot of medications and ended up dying.
"I think that anybody that has questions about any medications, about ways in which to prevent exposure should feel free to call the poison center at 1-800-222-1222. There’s also some good information out there on the internet about reducing exposure and fighting teen drug abuse. You can find some very good information at www.Samsa.Gov."
For more information:
Poison Center www.poisoncentertampa.org.
