They are
- Opioids: narcotic painkillers like Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet or Codeine
- Depressants: used to relieve anxiety or help sleep, like Valium, Klonopin or Xanax
- Stimulants: used for treating attention deficit disorder (ADHD), such as Adderall or Ritalin
While all these drugs can be misused and lead to addiction, the greatest concern today are opioids, which have similar origin to heroin. There has been a rise in the number of young people buying these pills on the street, or stealing them from medicine cabinets.
Commonly abused prescription medications (street names)
As a parent, it’s important you recognize the street names for these drugs.
|
Commercial Name |
Slang |
Common Form |
How It’s Taken |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Codeine |
Captain Cody, Lean, Schoolboy, Sizzurp, Loads, Purple Drank, Loads, Doors & Fours, Pancakes and Syrup |
Tablet, capsule, liquid |
Injected, swallowed (often mixed with soda) |
|
Fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Sublimaze) |
Apache, China Girl, China White, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfella, Jackpot, Murder 8, Tango and Cash, TNT |
Lozenge, sublingual tablet, film |
Injected, smoked, snorted |
|
Hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone (Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet) |
Vike, Watson -387 |
Capsule, liquid, tablet |
Swallowed, snorted, injected |
|
Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) |
D, Dillies, Footballs, Juice, Smack |
Liquid, suppository |
Injected, rectal |
|
Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet) |
O.C., Oxycet, Oxycotton, Oxy, Hillbilly Heroin, Percs |
Capsule, liquid, tablet |
Swallowed, snorted, injected |
|
Methadone (Dolophine, Methadose) |
Amidone, Fizzies with MDMA; Chocolate Chip Cookies |
Tablet, dispersible tablet, liquid |
Swallowed, injected |
|
Morphine (Duramorph, Roxanol) |
M, Miss Emma, Monkey, White Stuff |
Tablet, liquid, capsule, suppository |
Injected, swallowed, smoked |
|
Oxymorphone (Opana) |
Biscuits, Blue Heaven, Mrs. O, O Bomb, Octagons, Stop Signs |
Tablet |
Swallowed, snorted, injected |