Teen Drug Abuse

Medical Author: Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

• What drugs are abused by teenagers?
• What are some statistics on teenage drug use?
• What are the dangerous effects of drug use in teens?
• How can parents prevent drug use?
• What are the symptoms and warning signs of drug abuse?
• What is drug abuse?
• What are the causes and risk factors of teen drug use?
• What are the symptoms of drug abuse in teens?
• What is the treatment of drug intoxication?
• What are treatments for drug addiction?
• Where can a person get help for teen drug abuse?
• Teen Drug Abuse At A Glance

What drugs are abused by teenagers?

Virtually every drug that is abused by adults is also abused by adolescents. In addition to alcohol, common categories of drugs of abuse include:

• Tobacco products (for example, cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco)



• Cannabinoids (for example, marijuana, hashish), sometimes called "pot, weed, Mary Jane, or herb" and is smoked in a "joint," "blunt," "bong," or pipe
  
  
• Cold medications (for example, Sudafed, Benadryl)



• Inhalants (for example, gasoline, ammonia), the use of which is often referred to as "huffing"



• Depressants (for example, barbiturates, benzodiazepines), sometimes called "reds, yellows, yellow jackets, downers or roofies"



• Stimulants (for example, amphetamines, cocaine, methamphetamine), sometimes called "bennies, black beauties, speed, uppers, blow, crack, rock, toot, crank, crystal, or skippy"



• Narcotics (for example, morphine, heroin, codeine, Oxycontin, Vicodin), sometimes called cody, schoolboy, Tango and Cash, or monkey"



• Hallucinogens (for example LSD, "mushrooms"), sometimes called "acid, yellow sunshines, buttons, or shrooms"



• Dissociative anesthetics (for example, phencyclidine/PCP, ketamine), sometimes called "lovely, boat, Love Boat, angel dust, K, vitamin K, or cat" and whose use is often referred to as "getting wet"



• Club drugs (for example, Ecstasy), sometimes called "X"



• Others (for example, anabolic steroids), sometimes called "juice or roids"

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