Seasoned parents know that fads come and go. Something that ignites teenage fever one day may turn to nothing a few weeks later.
But when it comes to teen drug use, fashion designer drugs can be just as dangerous as the substances we’ve been warned about for decades. Even those who quickly lose their appeal with teens do their share of damage along the way.
Here are five of the most dangerous teen drug trends you shouldn’t ignore:
Teen drug trend n. # 1: bath salts
Bath salts hit the teen drug scene in 2010 and have since become a serious concern among law enforcement, hospitals, drug rehab centers and parents. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, calls about bath salts increased from 303 in all of 2010 to 3,470 between January and June 2011.
Bath salts are stimulants similar to methamphetamine and cocaine, but are legally sold under the names Vanilla Sky, Aura, Hurricane Charlie, Ivory Wave, and many others. To circumvent laws that would make bath salts illegal, manufacturers label them “not for human consumption” and sometimes market them as plant food or other seemingly innocuous products.
The active chemicals in bath salts are mephedrone and MDPV, but there is currently no reliable way to test these medications. At least 35 states have banned the ingredients found in bath salts and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is considering making these drugs controlled as Schedule I drugs such as heroin and ecstasy; however, adolescents still have easy access to these drugs.
Bath salts can literally make a perfectly “normal” psychotic teenager. Doctors across the country have been shocked to see their emergency rooms flooded with violent and delusional teens who are high on bath salts. Adolescents have dangerously high fevers, high blood pressure, a racing heartbeat, and muscle agitation so severe that it can lead to kidney failure. In addition to being highly addictive, these drugs can cause heart attacks, seizures, muscle damage, strokes, and even death.
After being treated with strong sedatives and antipsychotics in some cases, teens sometimes end up in the psychiatric hospital because the bath salts made them so violent, paranoid, and out of touch with reality. Even after several days of being sedated, psychosis can reappear, causing some to fear that the effects of these medications may be permanent.
Teen drug trend n. 2: kratom
Kratom is the newest drug that is gaining popularity among teenagers in the United States. Derived from a plant found in Southeast Asia, kratom has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes in other countries. Kratom is sold in the form of leaves, powder, extract, or capsules, and can be swallowed, drunk as a tea, or inhaled as a powder.
Kratom is not controlled by the DEA and is known by the names Thom, Kakuam, Biak, Thang or Ketum. The effects of kratom range from alertness, increased energy, and weight loss (in small doses) to relaxation, dry mouth, sweating, and reduced sensitivity to pain (in large doses). The drug takes effect within a few minutes of use and produces a mild effect that usually lasts two to five hours.
Although legal and easily accessible, kratom is addictive. Once addicted, teens who stop using kratom may experience withdrawal symptoms, such as cold-like symptoms, depression, diarrhea, and insomnia. In an effort to deal with these withdrawal symptoms or to amplify the effect, teens may start using stronger drugs or mixing kratom with alcohol or other drugs.
Teen drug trend n. 3: Spice / K2
Another drug that has probably made its way into your community is Spice, also known as K2, skunk, or J-dub. Spice is an herbal blend sprayed with a potent psychotropic containing synthetic cannabinoids. The drug hits the same receptors in the brain as marijuana (hence the name “legal marijuana”), but Spice can be up to 10 times stronger than marijuana, producing an effect that generally lasts an hour or two after smoking.
Spice has taken many teens to the ER. It can cause vomiting, agitation, panic attacks, hallucinations, seizures, high blood pressure, paranoia, and an elevated heart rate.
Despite these dangers, Spice is legally sold as “incense” or “potpourri” in toilet stores and on the Internet. Some states have banned Spice, but teens continue to find ways to circumvent the laws by buying the drug online. Because Spice does not show up on drug tests, many parents falsely believe that their teens are drug free.
Teen Drug Trend # 4: Salvia
Sage is a powerful hallucinogenic herb that is used as often as ecstasy and even more often than LSD, according to The New York Times. The drug comes in a variety of forms, including seeds, leaves, or liquid extract, and takes effect in seconds if smoked.
Sage affects a different area of the brain than other drugs such as opiates or other hallucinogens. The experience is not an “elevated” sensation, but an altered sense of reality that is sometimes disturbing. Teenagers abuse sage for its intense but short-lived hallucinogenic properties. Other effects include disconnection from reality, dizziness, a feeling of being in many places at the same time, and strange sensations of “hearing” colors and “seeing” sounds.
Salvia is not currently regulated by the DEA, although it is considered a drug of concern. Several states have regulated Salvia, but the process is slow to catch up to the severity of the problem.
Teen drug trend n. 5: prescription drugs
Teen prescription drug abuse is not “new,” but it is so widespread and dangerous that it deserves a spot in the top five teen drug trends. There are as many new users of pain relievers as there are of marijuana, according to the 2007 SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This means that when your teen is deciding which drug to try, they are just as likely to try prescription drugs like marijuana.
The most popular prescription drugs that teens abuse are pain relievers like OxyContin and Vicodin, but a significant number of teens also abuse stimulants and depressants. In most cases, teens get prescription drugs for free from a friend or family member. Because they are legal when prescribed by a doctor, teens believe that prescription drugs are less dangerous and less likely to get them in trouble with their parents or with the law.
The consequences of adolescent prescription drug abuse can be as serious and life-threatening as illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Pain reliever abuse can cause teens to stop breathing. Depressant abuse can result in decreased heart rate, depressed breathing, and seizures. Stimulant abuse has caused heart failure, high body temperature, irregular heart rate, and seizures. These effects are worse when teens take prescription drugs with alcohol or other drugs.
Every day, 2,500 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time (NSDUH, 2007). Drug use begins in the young: 13 years is the average age for the abuse of stimulants and sedatives, and more than half of the adolescents who have abused prescription painkillers tried them for the first time before the age of 15. Studies show that the earlier drug use begins, the more likely adolescents are to fight drug addiction into adulthood.
You are not powerless
What all of these drugs have in common is that they are easy to obtain, difficult to detect, and legal in certain ways. Because there is strong demand for these drugs, experts believe that we will continue to see new variations in designer drugs in the years to come.
Talk to your teen early and often about the dangers of drugs, whether legal or illegal, and be vigilant in protecting their medications and setting clear expectations for your child’s behavior and attitudes toward drugs. Drug trends come and go, but the one that sweeps your teen could affect his life forever.