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What you can do:

• Empty medicine cabinets of outdated medication.
• Store prescription drugs in a locked cabinet.
• Keep tabs on how many pills should be in the bottles.
• Monitor teens’ Internet use to ensure they aren’t buying medication online.
• Be observant of your teens’ behavior, keep an eye out for empty cough medicine bottles and pill packages.

Accidental overdoses

Accidental fatal overdoses nearly doubled from 1999 to 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control. They are now the second-leading cause of accidental death, behind only vehicle accidents, and the CDC says fatal overdoses are rising fastest among white women between the ages of 35 and 54.

CDC experts believe increased abuse of painkillers such as Vicodin and Oxycontin are a factor in the increases.

“Anna Nicole Smith is the poster child for one of the drug trends we’re seeing,” Talbot said. Smith, 39, a former model and sex symbol, died in February after taking a fatal combination of drugs, including chloral hydrate, which helped her sleep. None of the drugs found in her system were illegal.

Talbot said children often emulate celebrities, including everything from the way the celebrities dress to the substances they abuse. “Kids that emulate stars could follow them to the grave,” Talbot warned.

There is much more to do:

Encourage teenagers to call for help if they see someone overdosing on drugs, no matter what the legal consequences might be.

Know who your teens look up to, and encourage them to find role models other than celebrities, such as relatives, teachers or family friends.

Meth - Methamphetamine

After skyrocketing early this decade, the number of meth lab seizures have started to decline, apparently because of state laws that restrict purchases of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine, one of the main ingredients in meth. Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson said last month that methamphetamine-related arrests in the county have dwindled to almost nothing.

However, a new trend has popped up. Packs of downstate teenagers are traveling to Chicago on “smurfing” excursions, Talbot said. They hit pharmacy after pharmacy, each buying one pack of cold medicine at a time.

The teens follow the new law, but police rarely check the logs for suspicious activity. In Chicago, meth — known there as “hillbilly dope” — is not as big a problem as cocaine and heroin, so police place a lower priority on enforcing the pseudoephedrine law, Talbot said. The teenagers go back home with the pills and typically trade them for meth.

Know the signs of meth abuse:

Increased energy, loss of appetite, insomnia, agitation, compulsive behavior and performing repetitive tasks, talkativeness, irritability, increased libido, weight loss, depression and rapid tooth decay.

Know the signs of a meth lab:

Odors of ammonia and other chemicals, homes with the windows covered, lots of clear glass containers stored on the property and garbage that includes antifreeze containers, lantern fuel cans, drain cleaner, starter fluid and duct tape.

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