March 25, 2022
The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, along with Alexor LLC, Area L AHEC (part of the NC AHEC program) and the Governor’s Institute are concerned with the increase in stimulant misuse in teens across the country.
“In 2019, 83% of unintentional medication and drug overdose deaths in the United States involved multiple substances, including stimulants,” said Debby Futrell, Pharm.D., President/CEO of Area L AHEC.
Kendall Wood, SPF-Rx Project Manager with Governor’s Institute/NC Division of Mental Health added there has been an increase in prescription stimulants being prescribed to youth 12 and older and it is important to educate youth on how to properly take their medication and not share with others. This can lead to harmful effects, including unintentional overdoses.
Together, the four organizations along with two teen advisory boards, have developed a video for adolescents titled “Stimulant Medication and Addiction,” to increase awareness of this growing problem. They also developed a question prompt list that teens can use to ask health care providers or teachers questions that they have about using prescribed stimulants or misusing stimulants. The teens felt it was important to distinguish appropriate use of prescribed stimulants and misusing stimulants.
“Collectively, our goal is to provide teens with the resources they need to identify substance misuse and get help for themselves or friends quickly so they can live a fulfilling, productive life. The teens on advisory boards very much wanted resources to help one another since stimulants are so widely available right now in society,” said Betsy Sleath, Ph.D. with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
The video covers five key messages for teens, including:
- Be sure to take your meds as prescribed.
- Never share your meds with other people.
- Never take drugs given to you by a dealer.
- Let someone know if you are struggling.
- It is never too late to ask for help.
“It is important that people are well informed so that they can make educated decisions to protect their long-term health and well-being. Teenagers are particularly susceptible because of social pressure and school pressure. Helping teenagers understand early on the dangers of stimulant misuse can prevent misinformation and support individuals in making responsible, healthy decisions. I have enjoyed working with the other teenagers on the advisory board to support the goal of empowering teenagers with the knowledge they need to be in control of their physical and mental health,” said Nicole Boots, member of the teen advisory board from Asheville, N.C.
These efforts were sponsored by the Governor’s Institute with funding from the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration, Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs (SPF-Rx).
The developed resources will be disseminated in many ways, including via a website being developed by a team, led by Sleath, who are working closely with Charles Lee, MD of Alexor LLC and the teen advisory boards. The website, “Information for the Evolving Teenager,” which houses the stimulant video, question list, and other content on stimulants, will also include additional sections of resources for teens to be more involved with their health, whether it is preventing substance misuse or understanding asthma or ADHD.
The website was developed with funding from The Duke Endowment and the Eshelman Institute for Innovation. It will be launched this summer with a social media campaign directed at teens.
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