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A short documentary film about the dangers of teens abusing prescription drugs. The film was made by teens in the summer program at PCTV. Director: New Era Productions. Producer: New Era Productions. Production Company: Phillips Community TV. Prescription, Drugs, Teens, Addiction, Pills, PCTV, New Era, Minneapolis. Contact Information: www.youthmedia.tv. Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States

Most people take medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe them. But an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse. It is a serious and growing problem.

Abusing some prescription drugs can lead to addiction. You can develop an addiction to:

Narcotic painkillers
Sedatives and tranquilizers
Stimulants
Experts don’t know exactly why this type of drug abuse is increasing. The availability of drugs is probably one reason. Doctors are prescribing more drugs for more health problems than ever before. Online pharmacies make it easy to get prescription drugs without a prescription, even for youngsters.

Some people experiment with prescription drugs because they think they will help them have more fun, lose weight, fit in, and even study more effectively. Prescription drugs can be easier to get than street drugs: Family members or friends could have a prescription. But prescription drugs are also sometimes sold on the street like other illegal drugs. A 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that among all youths aged 12 to 17, 6% had tried prescription drugs for recreational use in the last month.

Why? Some people think that prescription drugs are safer and less addictive than street drugs. After all, these are drugs that moms, dads, and even kid brothers and sisters use. To Angie, taking her brother’s ADHD medicine felt like a good way to keep her appetite in check. She’d heard how bad diet pills can be, and she wrongly thought that the ADHD drugs would be safer.

But prescription drugs are only safe for the individuals who actually have prescriptions for them. That’s because a doctor has examined these people and prescribed the right dose of medication for a specific medical condition. The doctor has also told them exactly how they should take the medicine, including things to avoid while taking the drug — such as drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking other medications. They also are aware of potentially dangerous side effects and can monitor patients closely for these.

Other people who try prescription drugs are like Todd. They think they’re not doing anything illegal because these drugs are prescribed by doctors. But taking drugs without a prescription — or sharing a prescription drug with friends — is actually breaking the law.

Duration : 0:9:53

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A Day In The Death Of Donny B. (1969). Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education, Health & Welfare; Director: Carl Fick; Producer: Louis Mucciolo; Production Company: Audio Productions. Public domain video.

Heroin (Diacetylmorphine) Information: Heroin is the common name of a substance known by the chemical name, diacetylmorphine. Heroin is synthesized from morphine, and morphine is synthesized from opium produced by the plant known by the botanical name Papaver Somniferum (common name opium poppy). Rather than being a different drug, heroin is a method of preparing morphine so that it is absorbed more efficiently by the human body, when injected. If heroin is injected into a human, more morphine will reach the brain than it would if the same amount of morphine were injected. Injecting about 5mg of heroin will produce the same results as injecting 10mg of morphine. Heroin can also be snorted, smoked, or taken orally. However, these other routes of administration are not recommended. They are not as efficient and most of the drug is wasted. If you are not going to inject heroin, an equal amount of morphine will produce similar results. When it is not injected, the heroin is usually totally metabolized by the human body before it can affect the amount of morphine that reaches the brain. So the effects of heroin are nearly the same as an equivalent amount of morphine when snorted, smoked, or taken orally. The time it takes to feel the effects depends on the method of administration. Snorting heroin results in onset within 10-15 minutes. Smoking heroin results in an almost immediate (milder) effect which gets stronger if more is smoked in that particular session. Intravenous injection results in rush and euphoria within 7-8 seconds, intramuscular injection takes about 5-8 minutes. Orally, as when heroin or morphine are ingested in pill form, it can take 60-90 minutes to feel anything. The primary effects of morphine (the main active ingredient in heroin) are a cessation or reduction of pain and/or a euphoric and content feeling. Heroin and morphine use almost always causes constipation, thinking may be slower, and a user may feel nausea or vomit. Opioid itch, an itch caused by taking an opium based drug, may be present. Another physical effect of morphine is respiratory system depression. This makes it an excellent cough suppressant. It is also usually the cause of death in a heroin or morphine overdose. According to the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an estimated 2.4 million people in the USA used heroin at some time in their lives. Nearly 216,000 of them reported using it within the month preceding the survey. The survey report estimates that there were 141,000 new heroin users in 1995, and that there had been an increasing trend in new heroin use since 1992. A large proportion of the recent new users were smoking, snorting/sniffing heroin, and most were under age 26. The 1996 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects data on drug-related hospital emergency department episodes from 21 metropolitan areas, estimates that 14 percent of all drug-related ED episodes involved heroin. Physical dependence develops with higher doses of the drug. With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and leg movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. Heroin withdrawal is never fatal to otherwise healthy adults, but the psychological effects can be so bad that the user might kill themself, rather than going through withdrawl. To avoid physical addiction heroin should be used once every four days, maximum. If you take it on friday, wait till tuesday or later before doing it again. If you can limit your use to once every four days, physical addiction and tolerance problems are minimized. You will not require larger doses to produce the same results.

Duration : 0:14:10

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Heroin or opioids are discussed withdrawals, effects on mind, the relation to suicide and psychiatric patients overdose firearm

Duration : 0:1:40

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Born To Win (1971) / Creative Commons license: Public Domain (www.archive.org). J.J. (George Segal) is a former hairdresser turned heroin addict trying to satisfy his $100 per day habit and deal with the New York City drug culture. In order to get by, he turns narc and starts ratting on his friends. Director: Ivan Passer. Producer: Philip Langner, Jerry Tokofsky. Production Company: Edward Spector Productions Inc.; Contact Information: www.k-otic.com.

Duration : 1:23:48

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Knowing The Signs Of Drug Abuse / Educational Video. Public domain video.

Duration : 1:0:2

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Heroin Documentary Video from the public domain. Heroin: The Next Generation. Viewers will learn about the different types of heroin being peddled on the streets of America, how heroin affects the users and hear first person accounts about heroin use from former users. Find out how the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office broke a major heroin trafficking ring that was selling the drug to young people in the affluent suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona. What goes around comes around — and Heroin is back! But the face of yesterday’s junkie is not the face of the junkie of today. More young people than ever before are shooting it, snorting it — even smoking it. And they’re getting more bang for their buck when buying their heroin on the streets today. One reason: The purity of this drug is the highest at the street level than it’s ever been — that means users don’t have to use needles to inject the drug into their veins. The new ability to snort or smoke heroin is enticing more young people than ever before to give it a try. Back in the 60s and 70s, heroin users primarily injected the drug into their bloodstream. The next generation of heroin users do not have to use needles to get high on heroin. Smoking it or snorting it is more appealing to younger and first-time users by eliminating the fear of needles and syringe-associated diseases such as HIV, AIDS and hepatitis — not to mention the stigma ociated with the stereotypical “junkie” who “shoots up” the drug. Another reason heroin use is on the rise, according to James Hall, an epidemiologist for Up Front Drug Information Center in Miami, Florida is because prescription drug abuse is on the rise. “Young people who try prescription narcotic opiate drugs and like the effects of those drugs are turning to heroin because it packs a similar, yet more powerful punch than prescription narcotic opiates,” Hall says. “That’s why prescription drug abuse is becoming a stepping stone to first time heroin users.” Program Objectives: This program discusses, among other things, the following: Learn about the different types of heroin being peddled on the streets of America. Learn how heroine affects the users. Hear first person accounts about heroin use from a former users. Explore heroin trafficking trends and methods of delivery of the drug into the U.S. Find out how the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office broke a major heroin trafficking ring that was selling the drug to young people in the affluent suburb of Scottsdale, Arizona. Panelists: TBA. Sponsors: This program is sponsored the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT) with the technical support of the Satellite Education Network (SEN) at Ft. Lee, VA. Public domain video.

Duration : 1:30:8

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Ecstasy – The Damage It Does / Documentary Educational Video. Public domain video. MDMA (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic, psychoactive drug chemically similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Street names for MDMA include Ecstasy, Adam, XTC, hug, beans, and love drug. MDMA is an illegal drug that acts as both a stimulant and psychedelic, producing an energizing effect, as well as distortions in time and perception and enhanced enjoyment from tactile experiences. MDMA exerts its primary effects in the brain on neurons that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons. The serotonin system plays an important role in regulating mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain. Research in animals indicates that MDMA is neurotoxic; whether or not this is also true in humans is currently an area of intense investigation. MDMA can also be dangerous to health and, on rare occasions, lethal. Health Hazards: For some people, MDMA can be addictive. A survey of young adult and adolescent MDMA users found that 43 percent of those who reported ecstasy use met the accepted diagnostic criteria for dependence, as evidenced by continued use despite knowledge of physical or psychological harm, withdrawal effects, and tolerance (or diminished response), and 34 percent met the criteria for drug abuse. Almost 60 percent of people who use MDMA report withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, loss of appetite, depressed feelings, and trouble concentrating. Cognitive Effects: Chronic users of MDMA perform more poorly than nonusers on certain types of cognitive or memory tasks. Some of these effects may be due to the use of other drugs in combination with MDMA, among other factors. Physical Effects: In high doses, MDMA can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature. On rare but unpredictable occasions, this can lead to a sharp increase in body temperature (hyperthermia), resulting in liver, kidney, and cardiovascular system failure, and death. Because MDMA can interfere with its own metabolism (breakdown within the body), potentially harmful levels can be reached by repeated drug use within short intervals. Users of MDMA face many of the same risks as users of other stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines. These include increases in heart rate and blood pressure, a special risk for people with circulatory problems or heart disease, and other symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. Psychological Effects: These can include confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, and severe anxiety. These problems can occur during and sometimes days or weeks after taking MDMA. Neurotoxicity: Research in animals links MDMA exposure to long-term damage to neurons that are involved in mood, thinking, and judgment. A study in nonhuman primates showed that exposure to MDMA for only 4 days caused damage to serotonin nerve terminals that was evident 6 to 7 years later. While similar neurotoxicity has not been definitively shown in humans, the wealth of animal research indicating MDMA’s damaging properties suggests that MDMA is not a safe drug for human consumption. Hidden Risk: Drug Purity – Other drugs chemically similar to MDMA, such as MDA (methylenedioxyamphetamine, the parent drug of MDMA) and PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine, ociated with fatalities in the U.S. and Australia) are sometimes sold as ecstasy. These drugs can be neurotoxic or create additional health risks to the user. Also, ecstasy tablets may contain other substances in addition to MDMA, such as ephedrine (a stimulant); dextromethorphan (DXM, a cough suppressant that has PCP-like effects at high doses); ketamine (an anesthetic used mostly by veterinarians that also has PCP-like effects); caffeine; cocaine; and methamphetamine. While the combination of MDMA with one or more of these drugs may be inherently dangerous, users might also combine them with substances such as marijuana and alcohol, putting themselves at further physical risk.

Duration : 1:57:57

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A pharmacist explains how Vicoprofen works, why doctors prescribe this pain killer, and common side effects of the drug.Watch More Health Videos at Health Guru: http://www.healthguru.com/?YT

Duration : 0:2:33

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A pharmacist explains how Ultracet works, why doctors prescribe this pain killer, and common side effects of the drug.Watch More Health Videos at Health Guru: http://www.healthguru.com/?YT

Duration : 0:2:28

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A pharmacist explains how Ultram works, why doctors prescribe this pain killer, and some common side effects of the drug.Watch More Health Videos at Health Guru: http://www.healthguru.com/?YT

Duration : 0:2:7

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