Drug Information

Drug Use Signs and Symptoms - What should you look for?

How can you tell if your child is using drugs? It is difficult because changes in mood or attitude, unusual temper outbursts, changes in sleeping habits, changes in hobbies or other interests are common in teens.

• Negative changes in schoolwork; missing school or declining grades.
• Increased secrecy about possessions or activities.
• Use of incense, room deodorant or perfume to hide smoke or chemical odors.
• Subtle changes in conversations with friends, such as more secretive, using "coded" language.
• New friends.
• Change in clothing choices — new fascination with clothes that highlight drug use.
• Increase in borrowing money.
• Evidence of drug paraphernalia, such as pipes, rolling papers.
• Evidence of inhaling products and accessories, such as hair spray, nail polish, correction fluid, paper bags and rags, common household products.
• Bottles of eye drops, which may be used to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils.
• New use of mouthwash or breath mints to cover up the smell of alcohol or smoke.
• Missing prescription drugs — especially narcotics and mood stabilizers.

These changes often signal that something troubling is going on and may involve alcohol or drugs.

All major drugstore chains now offer urine test kits that can detect marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and a variety of other drugs. Phamatech is now working to get its QuickScreen At Home kits, which retail for between $14.95 and $29.95, on the shelves of a number of food store chains as well.

The most reliable home drug-testing kits have been approved by the FDA and offer confirmation of the results by a medical laboratory. The industry's best seller, Phamatech's $29.99 At Home multi panel, which tests for five types of drugs, includes a special mailer for people to send the results to the company's lab in San Diego.