How Painkiller Addiction Is Impacting Teens and Their Mental Health

Used responsibly and for short periods of time, prescription painkillers can bring needed relief after a serious injury or major surgery. But long-term use can quickly lead to teen painkiller addiction. In fact, the brain can become dependent on prescription opioids after just 5 days of use.

Teen misuse of prescription opioids can have life-threatening consequences, including overdose. As a parent of a teen, it is important to know the risks of opioid addiction and the signs and symptoms to look for to keep your child safe.

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Key Takeaways

• Teen misuse of prescription opioids can have life-threatening consequences, including overdose.
• Drug overdose, usually involving fentanyl, is now the third leading cause of death for children and adolescents.
• Teens are getting painkillers at school, online, via social media, and through friend groups.
• If you suspect your teen is addicted to prescription painkillers, it is critical to seek help from a credible substance use treatment facility.

How are Teens Getting Painkillers?

Teens sometimes get prescription painkillers from friends and relatives. In addition, teenage athletes may be prescribed pain medication for sports injuries. Dentists will also prescribe opioid painkillers for teens after a procedure, such as wisdom tooth extraction.

Subsequently, teens can get addicted even when safely prescribed by a doctor. This can cause teens to look for other ways to find painkillers after their prescription runs out. Unfortunately, teens can easily access painkillers at school, online, and via social media.

What Is Painkiller Abuse?

Many can take a prescription pain medication for a short time with no problems. However, for others, painkiller use leads to painkiller abuse.

Here are different ways to misuse or abuse painkillers:

• Taking prescription medication that was not prescribed for you
• Consuming painkillers in a way other than prescribed, such as changing how you take it (for example, crushing and snorting a pill rather than swallowing it)
• Using narcotics/pills to experience the high, rather than for temporary pain relief
• Mixing a painkiller with other drugs or with alcohol

Prescription drug misuse is an ongoing problem among young people. Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused substances among Americans ages 14 and older, just behind marijuana and alcohol, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Painkiller addiction has become increasingly dangerous. These drugs may unknowingly be “laced,” or combined, with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. As a result, drug overdose, usually involving fentanyl, is now the third leading cause of death for children and adolescents.

Read: Teen Fentanyl Use: How the Fentanyl Epidemic Is Impacting Teens

Teen Drug Overdose Deaths

Adolescent drug fatalities have more than doubled in recent years—primarily due to opioids—before taking a slight dip by the end of 2023. There were 708 adolescents drug fatalities in 2023, compared to 721 in 2022.

A recent KFF analysis found that opioid-related deaths among adolescents decreased in the second half of 2023. Although these findings show a positive reduction in overdose fatalities, they remain more than twice as high as prior to the pandemic (708 deaths in 2023 vs. 282 deaths in 2019).

Warning Signs of Painkiller Addiction

Here is a list of warning signs to watch for if you think someone you know may be dependent on painkillers.

1. Increase in the amount of the drug used
2. Changes in personality
3. Withdrawal from family and friends
4. Painkiller use after the medical condition they were prescribed for has improved
5. Spending large amounts of time and energy to obtain the drugs, such as visiting multiple doctors
6. Changes in daily routines, such as sleeping and eating habits
7. Physical signs, including constant cough, running nose, dilated pupils, and slurred speech
8. Neglecting responsibilities, skipping school, or calling in sick to work
9. Overreacting to normal sights, sounds, and emotions
10. Forgettingthings and having blackouts
11. Hiding the dependency by being secretive and defensive
12. Fatigue and drowsiness, along with looking droopy-eyed or yawning frequently
13. Inability to concentrate on everyday activities

Side Effects of Pain Medication

Many dangerous side effects come with painkiller use. Oxycodone and Vicodin side effects, as well as the side effects of other opioids, can be severe.

In addition, an overdose can occur when the dosage is too high. Moreover, a Vicodin overdose can result in death due to respiratory arrest. Furthermore, the presence of acetaminophen in Vicodin increases the risk of acetaminophen toxicity. This can result in liver damage.

Side effects of pain medicine include:

• Constipation
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Unconsciousness
• Respiratory depression (breathing slows down)
• Increased risk of heart attack
• Coma
• Death

Additionally, when people smoke, snort, or inject pain medicines, the reaction is stronger than if swallowed. This is even more dangerous. Specifically, it can cause problems breathing and potential overdose.

Moreover, mixing alcohol and oxycodone can be deadly, as both substances depress the nervous system. This leads to potential cardiac and respiratory problems and can cause organ damage, brain damage, or death.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Long-term use of painkillers leads to dependence. The body adapts to the constant presence of the drug and eventually, the person will develop a tolerance. Therefore, they need more of the drug to feel the high.

Thus, when someone stops using an opioid, they experience symptoms of withdrawal, which can be extremely difficult and painful.

Withdrawal symptoms can include the following:

• Restlessness
• Muscle and bone pain
• Insomnia
• Diarrhea and vomiting
• Feeling nervous, angry, or sad
• Chills with goose bumps
• Involuntary leg movements.

Any of these signs indicate that your teen may be abusing pain medication. Hence, it is critical they receive treatment immediately.

Social Rejection and Peer Conflicts

For teenagers, the fear of social rejection is huge. In fact, rejection by their peers may be the most intense fear that adolescents face. MRI research confirms how crippling this fear can be. A brain imaging study at the University of Michigan suggests that the same parts of the brain are activated by social rejection as by physical pain.

Hence, teens who have experienced rejection by peers or who fear rejection may show signs of school refusal. Moreover, conflicts within friend groups or being “cancelled” by peers may lead teens to avoid school. Or, if a close friendship breaks up, teens may feel isolated and alone. Hence, they try to avoid school as much as possible.

More Reasons Why Kids Avoid School

Avoiding school has other causes, too. Some teens refuse to go to school because they’re worried about a troubling situation at home. For example, teens might want to stay home if a parent is ill. Moreover, if their parents are fighting, a teen might want to stay close by to prevent one parent from leaving or from hurting the other.

In addition, teens may refuse to go to school if they are failing a subject or struggling academically. Or they may feel intimidated by a particular teacher. Teenagers who have problems with authority and following the rules may sometimes refuse to go to school.

What to Do When a Kid Doesn’t Want to Go to School

The first step in helping a teenager refusing to go to school is to identify the root causes. A school refusal intervention should get at the heart of a teen’s avoidance of school. Compassion, understanding, and patient listening are paramount during this discussion.

Subsequently, the school and the family should explore solutions to the teen’s school avoidance. For example, the family could meet with a school guidance counselor to discuss possible ways to solve the problems a teen is experiencing in school. Sometimes school refusal can be solved by addressing a very specific issue. A teen may need to be switched into a different class if they are struggling with the teacher or with other students. Or the school may need to provide additional supervision if there’s a bullying problem.

However, a teen’s school refusal is sometimes beyond the scope of school staff. If anxiety or depression symptoms are catalyzing school avoidance, an assessment by a mental health professional is essential.

Newport Academy’s Approach to Teen Treatment and Academics

At Newport Academy, we view a teen’s academic progress and motivation as an important aspect of their well-being and self-esteem. Therefore, we provide a robust educational component in our residential treatment and our full-day outpatient programs, or Partial Hospitalization Programs. Our strengths-based approach builds on a teen’s natural talents and interests. Teenagers build motivation along with executive functioning and organizational skills.

Most important, teens can progress in their learning and academic goals while receiving the treatment they need for anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use disorder, or other mental health and co-occurring issues. Contact us today to learn more about how Newport can help your teen move from school refusal to engagement, excitement, and a sense of purpose—in school and in life.

Frequently Asked Questions About School Refusal

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Soc Indic Research. 2015 April;121(2);437–454. 

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2012 Jan; 21(1).

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Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

AAUW Report: Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School

National Center for Education Statistics