Stimulant medications including amphetamines (e.g., Adderall) and methylphenidate (e.g., Ritalin and Concerta) are often prescribed to treat children, adolescents, or adults diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Prescription stimulants have a calming and “focusing” effect on individuals with ADHD. They are prescribed to patients for daily use, and come in the form of tablets or capsules of varying dosages. Treatment …
Marijuana’s Long-Term Effects on the Brain
Substantial evidence from animal research and a growing number of studies in humans indicate that marijuana exposure during development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes in the brain. Rats exposed to THC (main psychoactive chemical in marijuana) before birth, soon after birth, or during adolescence show notable problems with specific learning and memory tasks later in life. Cognitive …
Rx Drug Misuse…Not What the Doctor Ordered!
Prescription drug misuse is when someone takes a medication that was prescribed for someone else or takes their own prescription in a way not intended by a doctor or for a different reason—like to get high. It has become a big health issue because of the dangers, particularly the danger of misusing prescription pain medications. For teens, it is a …
Underage Drinking…
IT’S NON-NEGOTIABLE NO USE – NO WAY! Many parents wrestle with the issue of underage drinking. Ideally, no parent wants their teen to drink or use drugs, but some parents are tempted to accept teen drinking as a harmless rite of passage. It’s unhealthy and unsafe behavior. So how can you protect your child from harm? Here are some tips: There …
The Dangers of Drugged Driving
Use of illegal drugs or misuse of prescription drugs can make driving unsafe – just like driving after drinking alcohol. Drugged driving puts the driver, passengers, and others who share the road at risk. The effects of specific drugs differ depending on how they act in the brain. For example, marijuana can slow reaction time, impair judgment of time and …
Majority of High School Seniors Don’t View Marijuana as Harmful
Almost 70 percent of high school seniors don’t view regular marijuana use as harmful, according to the 2016 Monitoring the Future Survey, an annual survey of eighth, 10th, and 12th-graders by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the University of Michigan. General Arthur T. Dean, the Chairman and CEO of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) stated, “Whether …