Teen Girls' Rising Drug Use
Reports on the rise of prescription drug use among teen girls 10-19
May 21, 2007
Prescription Drug Use Up in Teen Girls
This year CBS Television employees were switched to Medco Pharmacy, which is an online service where you get three months' worth of prescriptions at a time. It works out better financially, but it is amazing to see in one location your family’s prescription drug use. I was saddened to see just how many prescriptions I take on a monthly basis. Sure, I know I take them, it’s a daily morning and evening ritual, but when it’s written out in a list of what is up for renewal it becomes a bit of a reality check. Then, doing research on Medco.com I found that the number of teens, especially girls, taking prescription drugs for type 2 diabetes, sleep problems, and other illnesses is rising.
Again that hit home, as my own daughter is on Metoforim, Yasmin, a Sleeping Aid, and medicine for young adult acne. What’s up with our society? Is it because we have the drugs available that there is so much more attention to these problems? When I was 18, did I just accept I couldn’t sleep, and instead clean my room endlessly night after night? Is it that we are seeing a younger generation that is sicker, or that we are able to medicate our children so easily?
The report charts Medco's prescription drug claims for some 370,000 girls and boys aged 10-19 from 2001 to 2006.
The sharpest rise in prescription drug claims was for girls taking drugs for type 2 diabetes, which is usually seen in adults but has become more common in kids and teens as childhood obesity rises.
Increases were also seen in drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, antidepressants, type 1 diabetes, antipsychotics, and sleep aids -- with girls leading the growth in all of those drug classes.
"This analysis raises concerns and questions about the health of adolescents in America, particularly girls," says Robert Epstein, MD, Medco's chief medical officer, in a Medco news release.
"While this may be evidence that more girls are for the first time being appropriately diagnosed and treated, it also raises red flags about the physical and psychological problems afflicting this population," Epstein notes.
Type 2 Diabetes Drug Trends
Medco reports that in 2001, about one in 1,000 girls aged 10-19 took type 2 diabetes drugs. That figure rose to 2.7 per 1,000 girls in 2006, an increase of 167%.
Most of that growth occurred during 2002-2005, according to Medco's data.
In comparison, Medco reports that prescription drug claims for boys aged 10-19 taking type 2 diabetes drugs rose by about 33% during the same time. However, less than one in 1,000 boys took type 2 diabetes drugs throughout that period.
Teen Sleep Prescriptions Up
Most recently, prescriptions for sleep aids showed the sharpest rise for boys and girls alike.
From 2005 to 2006, the prevalence of girls aged 10-19 with prescriptions for sleep aids rose by about 12%, from 3.9 per 1,000 girls in 2005 to 4.37 per 1,000 girls in 2006.
During the same period, the prevalence of boys aged 10-19 with prescriptions for sleep aids rose by more than 18%, from 2.5 per 1,000 boys in 2005 to three per 1,000 boys in 2006.
Here is the complete list of growth in prescription drug claims for 2001-2006 in girls and boys aged 10-19:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs. Up nearly 74% for girls and 37% for boys
- Antidepressants. Up more than 9% in girls and less than 1% in boys
- Type 1 diabetes drugs. Up nearly 17% in girls and almost 10% in boys
- Type 2 diabetes drugs. Up nearly 167% in girls and about 33% in boys
- Antipsychotics. Up more than 117% in girls and almost 71% in boys
- Sleep aids. Up more than 80% in girls and about 64% in boys
We live in a wonderful country where medical advice is available for all. I don’t care what anyone says, when there seems to be an emergency situation, you can’t find a waiting room that isn’t filled. Are they emergencies, or is it just easier to find the health care we need at after hour emergency rooms?
The answer is not in this article. The answer is in each of us as parents knowing our children’s needs. The more we know what they eat, how they think, what they do with their spare time, the better prepared we’ll be to help them through times of sickness, depression, sleep disorders, and the huge struggles young adults and teens face. It’s our choice how much we want to get involved with our children’s healthcare.
Speaking as a woman who is a mother of three young adult women, and with three grandchildren, I believe wholeheartily in being educated and being one’s own advocate. Let’s not let the medical community dictate what they think, without knowing what they are talking about. There’s no excuse with great sites like Suite101 that deals with every kind of ailment and situation, as well as all the health sites you can find on the Internet. Plug in that uncomfortable feeling; learn what you can and go equipped to your doctor about yourself or your children. Knowledge is power and power is at our fingertips.
*SOURCES: Medco Health Solutions: "Growth in Medication Use in Children -- 2001-2006." News release, Medco Health Solutions.
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