MAGNA - Multiple students at a Salt Lake Valley junior high school ended up in the hospital on Wednesday after taking too much prescription pain medication, officials said.
According to authorities, four teen girls at Matheson Junior High School in Magna took some of the prescription painkiller Ultram -- also
known as Tramadol -- before going to class. Apparently, one of the girls got the medication from her parents' medicine cabinet.
Before long, two of the girls began experiencing nausea and other symptoms of an overdose.
“Once in a while, kids do something like this and it scares us to death that they're harming themselves, especially at school,” said Randy Ripplinger, of the Granite School District.
Ultram is typically prescribed by doctors to treat moderate to severe pain. And although it is not a narcotic -- or a controlled substance -- it can cause some of the same overdose effects that drugs like OxyContin can.
Ultram has the potential to cause seizures or difficulty in breathing, which can lead to death.
Both girls were treated at the hospital and released in good condition.
Prescription drug abuse is becoming more common among teenagers, officials say. One reason is because it is far easier to get than the traditional street drugs. Often times, narcotic medications are available in kids' homes and are easily accessible in the medicine cabinet.
“Prescription drug abuse is the second most common abuse of a drug... [after] marijuana. And that includes cocaine, heroine and meth," said Sgt. Bruce Sterner of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Experts say that this incident can serve as a reminder to parents to keep their medications out of sight -- even if that means locking them up.
“We all have it in our homes, and in most cases we just keep it in the family bathroom cabinet," Sgt. Sterner said.
Residents who have old prescription medications they would like to get rid of can take the drugs to any Salt Lake County Sheriff's substations for disposal.
MORE:Information:
Ultram (Tramadol)
