[music]
NARRATOR VO: Stimulant abuse continues to rise
in the United States.
Among people age 12 and older in 2018,
5.5 million used cocaine,
and 1.9 million used methamphetamines.
Though the term
often brings to mind the use of
illegal drugs like methamphetamine and cocaine,
the disorder also affects people who misuse
prescription stimulants.
So, stimulants can be used to
treat multiple illnesses,
including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which,
by the way, can include people who are both inattentive
and hyperactive.
They are used to treat sleep disorders.
They can also be prescribed for weight loss as well.
The safe and appropriate use of stimulants to treat things like
ADHD is important because that's actually an illness
that can be really impairing to people.
And if it's not treated, it can increase
people's risk.
NARRATOR VO: These are some of the most commonly
prescribed stimulants
that you should be aware of.
Using these drugs without a
prescription or using them in a
way that they were not intended
can have dangerous consequences.
So, when we talk about
increasing rates of
stimulant use,
it's particularly among adults.
I think where we're particularly concerned are
transitional-age youth
(so, maybe like college-age populations, 18 to 25),
where we're seeing particularly high rates of stimulant use.
And it may not be to get high initially; it may be for
enhancing academic performance.
As people age into their twenties and beyond, we see a
transition in stimulant use from sort of more accepted forms
of prescription stimulants
into illegal forms of stimulants.
NARRATOR VO: In 2015, the most common reasons
adults misused stimulants at
least once in the past year were
to help be alert or stay awake (28.4%),
to help concentrate (26.2%),
and to help study (22.4%).
And as you might expect, there are a variety of street names
for these prescription stimulants.
Be aware, and prepared to intervene, if you overhear these
terms used in conversation by friends or family.
When you have people misusing the substances,
these medications, which are prescribed,
people can become addicted to it.
People can actually sell it to their friends.
People can take it for party purposes.
If these are used in this way, it can not only precipitate
symptoms in the now,
but it can lead to increased problems with substance use
later on.
NARRATOR VO: If you have children at home,
don't keep prescription stimulants
in the medicine cabinet
that allows them access.
Instead, keep these medications in a locked cabinet or safe so
you can monitor your child's dosage
and prevent potential misuse.
And often families will say, "Well, I'm locking up the drugs.
It makes my child feel like I don't trust them."
And that can be an issue for the parent-child relationship.
And one of the things I tell families is,
"It's not that you don't trust your child,
it's that you don't trust the effects that the substance can
have if people use it in a way other than is intended."
You know, it's trying to decrease the potential to harm
their own child and others.
NARRATOR VO: For more information about
stimulant use disorders and
resources for support and recovery, visit: