UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Trends in Drug Abuse

Category: Toxicology

Keywords: drugs of abuse, heroin (PubMed Search)

Posted: 7/3/2008 by Ellen Lemkin, MD, PharmD (Updated: 11/22/2024)
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 ADOLESCENT DRUG ABUSE

  • "Pharming" is prescription drug abuse
  • Teens will take medications from their home medicine cabinets, mix them in bags together indiscriminately and make "trail mix" to pass around parties
  • "Cheese" is a combination of heroin with cough and cold preparations. The heroin concentration in cheese is typically between 2-8% compared to 30% found in black tar heroin, and is considered "starter heroin"

References

Prosser JM, Nelson LS. Emergency Medicine May 2008