What are the symptoms and warning signs of drug abuse?

Share with your family - kids need to know what goes on around them among their peers or others they may encounter throughout young adulthood. Knowing if a person is on drugs may help deal with risky situations. It's never too early to talk.

Signs that indicate a person is intoxicated or "high" on a drug depends on the substance with which he or she is intoxicated and include:
Tobacco products: frequent smell of tobacco, irritability, discolored fingertips, lips or teeth, cigarette butts at curbside;
Cannabinoids: reddened whites of eyes, sleepiness, excessive hunger, lack of motivation, excessive happiness, paranoia;
Cold medications: sleepiness, rapid or slowed heart rate;
Inhalants: runny nose, smell of gasoline or other solvent, confusion or irritability;
Depressants: sleepiness, lowered inhibitions, poor coordination, slowed heart rate or blood pressure, dizziness, coma, death in overdose;
Stimulants: rapid heart rate or blood pressure, irritability, excessive happiness, less need for sleep, paranoia, seizures;
Narcotics: less experiencing of pain, excessive happiness, sleepiness, slowed or stopped breathing, coma, death in overdose;
Hallucinogens: trouble sleeping, blurred perceptions, paranoia;
Dissociative anesthetics: higher blood pressure and heart rate, memory loss, nausea and vomiting, irritability, aggressiveness;
Club drugs (for example, Ecstasy): feverish teen that does not sweat, finding multiple lollipops or other hard candies, the teen seeming to love everyone and/or have an excessively happy mood (euphoria);
Others (for example, anabolic steroids): increased irritability or aggressiveness, rapid increase in muscle definition, thinning or loss of head hair, marked increase in acne over a short period of time, finding needles.
The physical symptoms of withdrawal from these drugs are often nearly the opposite of the effects of intoxication.

RITALIN ADDERALL AND DEXEDRINE ABUSE

Some kids think that taking adderall helps them study and do well on tests. Researchers of 6,000 students showed 1 in 7 taking the drug off prescription.
Widely abused as a recreational drug. They're known on the street as Fatty Addy, A.D., Study Buddies, Ralls, Headlight Through Fog, Smart Pills, Beenies, Amps, A-Bombs, Addies, Poopy, Blue Buddies, Blue Betties, Orange Tic-Tacs (name used for the higher-dosage orange versions), Blue Dutchman, Candy, A Candy, Blue Boy, Jollies, Smurfs, Rinky Dink, Diet Coke, Davies (for their founder, Dave Herrington), Team Blue, Derallo, The A Train, A+ (in reference to its stimulant effect -- Ambien is often referred to as "A-", the reverse effect of Adderall). In some regions of the U.S. they are known as Railguns and "That'da Boy(s)" (from noted increase in productivity).

In some schools, junior high, high school and colleges, taking Adderall is known as Taking the A-Train, most likely inspired by the song "Take The A Train" by Duke Ellington. The 5 and 10 mg doses are also known in the northwest as "BBs", which is short for "Blueberries", named for their blue color. Heavier users tend to use the term "GBs", short for "goof balls". Some Adderall abusers crush and snort the 5 and 10 mg. pills, to experience a stronger "rush" and a more rapid onset of the drug's effects. This has led to the term "Smurf Snot," used to describe how the pills color one's mucus blue.


Ritalin, Dexedrine and adderall are all stimulants. Technical difference: Dexedrine and Adderall both contain amphetamine type stimulants where Ritalin contains a stimulant that is not an amphetamine. Dexedrine is made up of 1 amphetamine salt which is dextroamphetamine. Adderall is made up of 4 amphetamine salts, 1 of which is dextroamphetamine which makes up 25% of the Adderall pill. Ritalin usually requires a dosage similar to Adderall and twice that of Dexedrine to be effective.
Read the article below for more information to share with your children.

http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/printer/100317_ritalin.shtml

ADOLESCENT BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR – Why do teens act this way?

The part of the brain which controls reasoning and impulses – known as the Prefrontal Cortex – is near the front of the brain and does not fully mature until the age of 25.

Unfortunately, developing brains may be more prone to damage. This means that experimentation with drugs and alcohol can have lasting, harmful effects on your teen’s health.

Want to know more? Visit http://www.drugfree.org/teenbrain/science/behavior.html This site is full of helpful information to discuss and share with your teen.

WHAT DRUGS ARE IN THE TEEN WORLD TODAY?

Times are changing and so are the opportunities to get high these days. Do you wonder what's out there? Are kids really selling their ADD prescriptions at school? Is pot that much stronger than it used to be? Is it grown in basements and homes here in Lawrence? Is my own medicine cabinet a target for teen drug abuse? Do kids get high off of over the counter cough medicine? What kinds of things do kids use to inhale to get high? What are 'skittles'? The number one deterrent for kids doing drugs is parent influence and we need to know the facts. Our children are 50% LESS likely to use if we talk with them, educate and monitor their behavior. How do we start the discussion without knowing the subject? The link below is a table will help you better understand the effects of drugs, what they look like, and how they are used. Share this with your child. It won't teach them to do drugs, it will teach them what drugs can do to them. It will help them be aware and knowledgeable about what's out there - in their world.

http://www.timetotalk.org/Downloads/ttt_drug_chart.pdf