Anna Carey, 16, spoke at a roundtable discussion about e-cigarettes and vaping on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, at the UNT Health Science Center. Anna was an invited guest of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and was joined by Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, Karen Schultz, M.D., medical director of Pulmonology at Cook Children's, UNT President Michael Williams and others. Anna made quite an impact. We were so impressed with Anna, we asked her to tell her story. 

My name is Anna Carey, and I am 16 years old. I was hospitalized at Cook Children’s for five days because of vaping and dabbing.

I used to play volleyball and tennis, but now I will never be able to play sports again. I started vaping when I was a freshman in high school with a Vuse Vibe that I got from a senior. I switched to the Juul a few months later just because it was “cooler” than the vibe.

I got caught by my parents too many times to count my freshman year, but I never stopped vaping. The summer going into my sophomore year, I stopped because I had no one to buy pods for me. When school started back up in the fall, I started vaping again. This time, seniors would buy pods for me.

Honestly, anyone who is over 18 would buy for me. It really was not hard at all. Around November of my sophomore year, I started to use THC carts, and I began selling pods and carts to my whole school.

I was known for vaping, and it became my entire reputation. We even had a talent show, and my friends and I were called “The Starter Pack” (which is what Juul calls their packages), and my shirt said “salesman.”

Halfway through the year, I switched to Njoy because it was way cheaper than Juul. I lost a lot of friends from middle school because of this, and a relationship ended because of vaping and dabbing. But I didn’t care. Nothing could make me stop. Not even the random pains in my chest when I would use my dab pen, which I mostly ignored.

I feel like I got the entire freshman class addicted to vaping. This past summer, my mom found all of my vapes and dab pens and threw them all away. Since I had been having some pains and lost some friendships, I decided it was time to quit dabbing. But I didn’t stop vaping.

On the first day of school of my junior year, so many people came up to me asking to buy for them, but I was done selling. The guilt of causing all of these addictions had become too much, and I could not escape my reputation at the school.

I left school and became homeschooled, but now I could use my njoy all day. My siblings bought the pods for me because I would get so angry if I did not have pods, and the withdrawals were not worth quitting to me. I saw the news of people dying or getting hospitalized, and I still didn’t care. Literally, nothing would make me stop. I would say things like, “I guess I’m going to vape more” or “I’m not going to stop until I’m hooked up.”

After about two months of me stopping dabbing, I decided to start again because “why not?” I was completely broke, but every penny would go toward vaping and dabbing. I had a system created in my head. I knew I needed $10 every four days because I would go through two njoy pods in about three to four days. I also needed $35 every two weeks for two carts because one THC cartridge would last me one week.

About one month before I was hospitalized, I went to the doctors and got an X-ray on my lungs, and it came back clear. They gave me an inhaler and told me to stop vaping, but I didn’t listen. The pain was insignificant to me since the X-ray came back clear, and I barely used the inhaler.

Then, one day, I was cleaning my room, and all of a sudden, a wave of exhaustion hit me. I was completely drained of all my energy and laid in bed for two days. I had the most awful pain when I breathed and moved, I honestly thought I broke a rib somehow. The day the pain started, I stopped using my THC carts and cut back on my vaping to about three hits a day just to feed my addiction.

I had the worst aches of my life. We still don’t know if that was from withdrawing or the disease, but the pains lasted a week and a half.

I completely lost my appetite and couldn’t eat anything but a piece of fruit a day. About two days after the pain started, we decided to go to Cook Children’s. We waited in the waiting room while I cried my eyes out because of the pain. They did an X-ray on my lungs and an EKG, and it all came back clear. They sent me home, just as I came, and I laid in bed for the rest of the week, just hoping that the pain would go away with time.

Six days from when the pain started, I decided to go to a basketball game with my friend. We had to go up and down stairs where I had to take breaks every couple of minutes so I could catch my breath. It felt like I was running a marathon, even though I just went up a small hill.

The next day we decided to go to urgent care. Still, they couldn’t find anything wrong with me, so they sent me to the local emergency room and did an X-ray where they found that I had pneumonia.

They immediately sent me in an ambulance to Cook Children’s, where they diagnosed me with chemical pneumonia. I was placed on oxygen and monitoring, and it was the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life. I could not move without gasping for air, my chest constantly ached, and every time I breathed, a sharp pain went through my entire chest. I felt completely helpless.

The scariest part of this whole situation was how little everyone still knows about this disease or how dangerous vaping is for kids. The doctors didn’t know if I would be OK or how much my lungs would heal or anything. The unknown was definitely not worth the vaping at all. I think I needed to be hospitalized to stop vaping, and I think there is a lot of other people who are the same way. It’s hard for a news article to really make a change with a teenager, and I think the only way to end this, is to end vaping.

I caused so many people to be addicted to this. Now I need to help them stop.

Related To This Topic:

• What Parents Need to Know About E-Cigarettes and Vaping
• Why Doctors Believe Vaping Landed 17 Year Old In ICU
• Tobaccoa Use Increases by More than 38% Among High School Students
• Juul, Other E-Cigarettes Called an 'Epidemic' By FDA Chief
• E-Cigarettes Expose Teens to Cancer-Causing Chemicals, Future Cigarette Smoking

It's hard to turn on the news and not see a story about the dangers of e-cigarettes or vaping. 

As of Aug. 28, 2019, there have been nearly 200 reported incidents of vaping-related illness in 22 states, resulting in at least one death. 

Earlier this summer, 17-year-old Tryston spent 18 days in Cook Children's ICU, needing machines to keep him alive. He lost 30 pounds, and had to re-learn to walk normally again because he had no muscle mass in his legs anymore from being bedridden for almost three weeks. He is still coughing at times and feels tired. A clear answer for why his lungs failed him was never found, but doctors believe it was because of his vaping.  

“We don't know for sure. But there are literature reports of hypersensitivity pneumonitis from vaping. I told him no inhaling anything again, ever. We still don't know for sure what the trigger was. But it is very plausible that it could be due to his vaping,” Suzanne Whitworth, M.D., medical director of Infectious Disease at Cook Children's said.

Tryston was one of a growing number of teens who are vaping. Statistics show 45% of U.S. teens have tried it. 

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says E-Cigarettes may have the potential to benefit adult smokers if used as a complete substitute for regular cigarettes and other smokeless tobacco products, they are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women or adults who are currently using tobacco products. 

The CDC adds there is "a lot to learn about whether e-cigarettes are effective for quiting smoking" and "if you've never smoked or used other tobacco products or e-cigarettes, don't start."

Diane Arnaout, M.D., a Cook Children's pediatrician in Fort Worth, wrote the first story about Tryston. He was her patient and he asked Dr. Arnaout to get the word out about the potential dangers of vaping. 

"And though they claim to be a “healthier option” to regular cigarettes, I beg to differ. Inhaling chemicals is inhaling chemicals. There are over 40 different chemicals in vaping liquids. And they can cause some major damage," Dr. Arnaout wrote. "They can hurt delicate lung tissue. We are seeing more and more reports of teenagers and young adults suffering severe lung injuries and seizures coming out in the news lately.

"I’m really worried about how addictive these things are. Kids who want to quit are finding it more difficult to do so than if they’d smoked a pack a day."

Don Wilson, M.D., an endocrinologist at Cook Children's, has been speaking out about the dangers of e-cigarettes for quite some time. Dr. Wilson, who is an an Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Health and Risk Prevention, offers this basic information for parents:

More On This Topic:

• Why Doctors Believe Vaping Landed 17 Year Old In ICU
• Surgeon General’s Advisory on E-cigarette Use Among Youth
  • Download pdf icon[PDF–572 KB]external icon
• E-cigarettes Shaped Like Flash Drives: Information for Parents, Educators, and Health Care Providers
• Teachers and Parents: That USB Stick Might Be an E-cigarette
• E-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.govexternal icon
  • Information from the Surgeon General on the risks of e-cigarettes for young people, and includes free tools such as a parent tip sheet for talking to teens about e-cigarettespdf iconexternal icon [PDF – 5.2MB].
• Teen.smokefree.govexternal icon
  • Information for teens who use tobacco products, including tips on how to quit.
• Electronic Cigarettes
  • Basic information about e-cigarettes from CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.

The CDC looked at tobacco product use among U.S. youth from 2017 to 2018 and the results are alarming, with e-cigarettes called out as the main culprit for the increase.

Use of any tobacco product grew by 38.3 percent among high school students in the last year and 4.9 million youth became current tobacco product users in 2018.

E-cigarette use increased from 11.7 percent to 20.8 percent among high school students and from 3.3 percent to 4.9 percent among middle school students from 2017 to 2018. No change was found in the use of other tobacco products, including cigarettes, during this time.

“E-Cigarettes are often promoted as safer alternatives to cigarette smoking,” said Don Wilson, M.D., an endocrinologist at Cook Children’s. “But the promotion of any addictive behavior in youth is potentially harmful, and can be translated into other addictive behaviors and may alter social development. Recent scientific evidence suggests that in addition to nicotine, which can be harmful to the cardiovascular system and brain, the ingredients inhaled during vaping are likely harmful and may lead to adverse health consequences, such as cancer.”

Dr. Wilson said e-cigarettes are designed to simulate the act of smoking and delivering nicotine, which is highly addictive.

“Even though exposure to toxic chemicals for a single vaping session may be limited, there is likely a cumulative affect for youth who start vaping at a young age and continue to do so over lifetime,” he said.

Recent research suggests nicotine exposure may also cause the brain to become addicted to other substances. Youth nicotine use can lead to addiction and can harm the developing brain, impacting learning, memory and attention. Vapor from some e-cigarettes has also been shown to contain known cancer producing and toxic chemicals, such as diethylene glycol and nitrosamines, as well as small particles of toxic metals.

Dr. Wilson points out this latest in-depth study from the CDC only adds to the growing concern among other health care experts in recent years.

Vaping “has the potential to create a whole new generation of kids who are addicted to nicotine,” said Vivek Murthy, M.D., then the U.S. surgeon general, said in December 2016.

JUUL is the most commonly sold e-cigarette in the U.S. It’s shaped like a USB flash drive and is easy to conceal. JUUL uses liquid nicotine refills called “pods,” which contain at least as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes and are available in flavors that appeal to youth. The product is being used by youth in schools, including inside bathrooms and classrooms.

The CDC asks that parents set a positive example by not using tobacco product themselves and learn about different types and risks of tobacco products including e-cigarettes.

Read the full report from the CDC here.

Get to know Don P. Wilson, M.D.

Although most of his professional focus has been in the area of childhood diabetes, Dr. Wilson has expanded his role in the related areas of childhood obesity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. He is board certified by the American Board of Lipidology, a Fellow of the National Lipid Association and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. Dr. Wilson is currently a member of the board of directors of the Southwest Lipid Association and the American Board of Clinical Lipidology.

Recognizing that current approaches have proven inadequate to identify and effectively address the growing concern of premature cardiovascular disease, Dr. Wilson has been working with local, regional and national experts to create a better clinical care model that will provide enhanced health care, assessment, research and education for children and adolescents with genetic and acquired forms of dyslipidemia.

More than 1.5 million people visited checkupnewsroom.com. We thought we would take a look back at our most popular stories written in 2018. Let's start the countdown:

10. Couple Fights To Give Child Abuse Victim, Foster Chlid Forever Home: We begin our countdown with one of the most heartwarming stories of the year. Read about a wonderful family, their fight to make baby Jett their own and the help Cook Children's provided them.

9. Let's Learn Something About Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease!: Leave it to Dr. Diane to make "Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease" interesting.  All of her "Let's Learn" About posts do well and this was no exception.

8. 5 Children Treated for Bath Drownings at Cook Children's in One Month: Sadly, we once again had to talk a lot about drownings in 2018. But we didn't just warn about the dangers of pools or lakes. In May of this year, we got an important message out: "Don't leave your child alone in the bathtub."

7. Father who nearly lost son to a Tide Pod reacts to ‘Tide Pod Challenge’: Remember the Tide Pod Challenge fad of 2018? One family did not think it was amusing. Chris and Heidi Slaydon know all too well the dangers of a child swallowing a laundry detergent pod.

6. What Is Guillain-Barré syndrome?: When we learned that Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick  had been diagnosed with this rare neurological disorder, it gave us a chance to talk about GBS. Cook Children's neurologists see between 6 to 10 cases per year.

5. 'Is it RSV?': By the end of November, 178 kids had tested positive for RSV. Here's a quick look at what respiratory syncytial virus is. 

4. Is That Blue Vein Across Your Child's Nose a Sugar Bug?/Here's What You Need to Know About Kanmushi and Sugar Bugs: Have you ever noticed a prominent blue vein across your child's nose? Our Doc Smitty wrote two posts about Sugar Bugs and they both made our Top 10.

3. Can Elderberry and Other 'Alternative' Medications Treat Colds and Flu?: We may have only scratched the surface in talking about Elderberry (look for more articles in 2019), but here's the first post we published on the topic. 

2. Is It Strep Throat or The Flu?: We published this helpful overview to distinguish whether it's strep or flu in January of 2018 and it stayed in our top 10 throughout the year on its way to the No. 2 spot. 

1. Juul, Other E-Cigarettes Called an 'Epidemic' by FDA Chief: With more than 75,000 views, this was our most read story we published this year. We reported on this topic a few times during the course of the year because new information came out about the dangers of e-cigarettes and kids. We talked to Don Wilson, M.D., an endocrinologist at Cook Children's, to learn more about this topic. 

That wraps up another great year. Thank you for reading. We will be back with much more in 2019 and drop us a line in the comments below for any articles you would like to see our experts discuss.

Two new studies emphasize the dangers of teens using e-cigarettes

The studies published in Pediatrics magazine showed teens who only vape have the highest level of cancer causing chemicals in their bodies and the e-cigarettes are associated with future smoking in teens.

The researchers from the University of California, San Francisco challenge the idea that e-cigarette vapor is safe. They found that teens who use e-cigarettes are in danger of inhaling cancer-causing chemicals, especially in fruit flavors.

“The presence of harmful ingredients in e-cigarette vapor has been established; we can now say that these chemicals are found in the body of human adolescents who use these products,” authors wrote.

The UC San Francisco researchers found that adolescents who smoke e-cigarettes expose themselves to a high levels of the potentially cancer-causing chemicals also found in tobacco cigarettes, even when the e-cigarettes do not contain nicotine.

"Teenagers need to be warned that the vapor produced by e-cigarettes is not harmless water vapor, but actually contains some of the same toxic chemicals found in smoke from traditional cigarettes," said lead author Mark L. Rubinstein, MD, a professor of pediatrics at UCSF. "Teenagers should be inhaling air, not products with toxins in them."

This was the first known study to report on the potentially cancer-causing compounds in the bodies of adolescents use e-cigarettes, according to UCSF. The lists of compounds include acrylonitrile, acrolein, propylene oxide, acrylamide and crotonaldehyde.

Another study from the same institution and also published in Pediatrics found that “e-cigarette use is more likely to encourage youth smoking that to divert youth form smoking.”

The team found those who had ever used e-cigarettes were significantly more likely than never users to have smoked at least 100 cigarettes at follow-up, have smoked during the past 30 days or both.

To learn more about e-cigarettes, we talked to Don Wilson, M.D., an endocrinologist and an Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Health and Risk Prevention at Cook Children’s.

What do e-cigarettes do?

E-cigarettes are designed to simulate the act of smoking and deliver nicotine without the toxic chemicals produced by burning tobacco. The use of nicotine, however, is highly addictive. Recent research suggested nicotine exposure may also cause the brain to become addicted to other substances. Vapor from some e-cigarettes has also been shown to contain known cancer producing and toxic chemicals, such as diethylene glycol and nitrosamines, as well as small particles of toxic metals. Although not well studied, there is the potential for second hand exposure by others in the environment.

How do e-cigarettes work?

E-cigarettes are smokeless, battery operated devices designed to deliver nicotine mixed with a variety of flavorings (fruit, mint, chocolate, etc.) and other chemicals via an inhaled aerosol. They typically resemble regular tobacco cigarettes, cigars, pipes or everyday items like pins or USB memory sticks.

Most e-cigarettes generally contain three components: a cartridge that contains a liquid solution containing various amounts of nicotine, flavoring and other chemicals, a heating device or vaporizer, and a rechargeable battery. Puffing on the e-cigarette activates the battery powered heating device causing the liquid to vaporize. The vapor is inhaled by the user. E-cigarette vapor may include metals, rubber and ceramics which may be aerosolized and have adverse health effects.

Are e-cigarettes safe?

Although a limited number of studies have been conducted, the safety of e-cigarettes has not thoroughly been evaluated in scientific studies.

Here are a few points to consider:

• Nicotine is highly addictive and has negative effects on brain development from infancy to teens.
• Potential consequences of using e-cigarettes among youth include nicotine addiction, withdrawal and the potential for overdose.
• The use of a variety of flavoring in the liquid solution of e-cigarettes has created concern for accidental ingestion by smaller children.
• With the rapid increase in use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), users and nonusers are exposed to the aerosol product. While e-cigarette aerosol may contain fewer toxins than cigarette smoke, studies evaluating whether e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes are inconclusive.

Bottom line: e-cigarettes are often promoted as safer alternatives to cigarette smoking. Although very little is known about their safety, they are increasingly being used by youth and young adults.

What about second hand exposure?

The potential exists for secondhand nicotine and other tobacco-related toxin exposures to others. Studies have shown that e-cigarettes are a source of secondhand exposure to nicotine but not to combustion toxins. Thus, while use of e-cigarettes in indoor environments may involuntarily expose nonsmokers to nicotine, it does not seem to expose them to toxic, tobacco-specific combustion products.

What does the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend?

To protect the health of youth, the American Academy of Pediatrics has made the following recommendations:

• Sales of e-cigarettes to minors (under 18 years of age) should be prohibited.
• Candy and fruit flavored e-cigarettes, which encouraged youth smoking initiation, should be banded.
• To avoid exposing others to potential harm, laws should mandate smoke-free environments which include e-cigarette vapor.
• To prevent poisoning, all e-liquids should be required to be sold in child-proof packaging.

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy said e-cigarettes are the most commonly used form of tobacco among young people in the United States, surpassing conventional tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and hookahs.

From 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use among high school students increased 900 percent.

"Compared with older adults, the brain of youth and young adults is more vulnerable to the negative consequences of nicotine exposure," Dr.. Murthy said. 

During the press conference, Dr. Murthy took the opportunity to introduce a new interactive website to provide the facts on e-cigarette use among young and young adults. 

The site states that 6 of 10 American teens believe that e-cigarettes cause little or only some harm as long as they are used sometimes, but not every day. However, the site says that e-cigarettes pose a "significant -- and avoidable -- health risk to young people in the United States. Besides increasing hte possibility of addiction and long-term harm to brain development and respiratory health, e-cigarettes use is associated with the use of tobacco products that can do even more damage to the body. Even breathing e-cigarette aerosol that someone else has exhaled poses potential health risks.

To learn more about e-cigarettes, we talked to Don Wilson, M.D., an endocrinologist and an Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Health and Risk Prevention at Cook Children’s.

What do e-cigarettes do?

E-cigarettes are designed to simulate the act of smoking and deliver nicotine without the toxic chemicals produced by burning tobacco. The use of nicotine, however, is highly addictive. Recent research suggested nicotine exposure may also cause the brain to become addicted to other substances. Vapor from some e-cigarettes has also been shown to contain known cancer producing and toxic chemicals, such as diethylene glycol and nitrosamines, as well as small particles of toxic metals. Although not well studied, there is the potential for second hand exposure by others in the environment.

How do e-cigarettes work?

E-cigarettes are smokeless, battery operated devices designed to deliver nicotine mixed with a variety of flavorings (fruit, mint, chocolate, etc.) and other chemicals via an inhaled aerosol. They typically resemble regular tobacco cigarettes, cigars, pipes or everyday items like pins or USB memory sticks.

Most e-cigarettes generally contain three components: a cartridge that contains a liquid solution containing various amounts of nicotine, flavoring and other chemicals, a heating device or vaporizer, and a rechargeable battery. Puffing on the e-cigarette activates the battery powered heating device causing the liquid to vaporize. The vapor is inhaled by the user. E-cigarette vapor may include metals, rubber and ceramics which may be aerosolized and have adverse health effects.

Are e-cigarettes safe?

Although a limited number of studies have been conducted, the safety of e-cigarettes has not thoroughly been evaluated in scientific studies.

Here are a few points to consider:

• Nicotine is highly addictive and has negative effects on brain development from infancy to teens.
• Potential consequences of using e-cigarettes among youth include nicotine addiction, withdrawal and the potential for overdose.
• The use of a variety of flavoring in the liquid solution of e-cigarettes has created concern for accidental ingestion by smaller children.
• With the rapid increase in use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), users and nonusers are exposed to the aerosol product. While e-cigarette aerosol may contain fewer toxins than cigarette smoke, studies evaluating whether e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes are inconclusive.

Bottom line: e-cigarettes are often promoted as safer alternatives to cigarette smoking. Although very little is known about their safety, they are increasingly being used by youth and young adults.

What about second hand exposure?

The potential exists for secondhand nicotine and other tobacco-related toxin exposures to others. Studies have shown that e-cigarettes are a source of secondhand exposure to nicotine but not to combustion toxins. Thus, while use of e-cigarettes in indoor environments may involuntarily expose nonsmokers to nicotine, it does not seem to expose them to toxic, tobacco-specific combustion products.

What does the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend?

To protect the health of youth, the American Academy of Pediatrics has made the following recommendations:

• Sales of e-cigarettes to minors (under 18 years of age) should be prohibited.
• Candy and fruit flavored e-cigarettes, which encouraged youth smoking initiation, should be banded.
• To avoid exposing others to potential harm, laws should mandate smoke-free environments which include e-cigarette vapor.
• To prevent poisoning, all e-liquids should be required to be sold in child-proof packaging.

Welcome to today’s drug culture of “code names” and “street terms.” You may not know what those words mean, but more than likely your kids do.

Russell Johnson, a sergeant in the Narcotics Unit for the Fort Worth Police Department, says the world of recreational drug use has changed dramatically from even just a few years ago.

The availability and quantity of drugs has changed. It’s not nearly as hard to obtain drugs today because it’s more accepted and isn’t criticized as much by parts of society.

Johnson says if your child is using drugs, there will be an overall change in behavior and friends. Teens might be more lazy than normal and their grades will drop across the board. “This could be an indicator of something else that’s extremely stressful on a teen’s life too, but when you look at all of them, something is not right,” he said.

Rosanne Thurman, director of Pharmacy at Cook Children’s, believes it’s important for parents to make sure that their kids are aware they shouldn’t take any drug that’s not prescribed by their doctor and to make sure they follow the instructions of the prescription.

“It’s so hard for parents to stay informed on what is happening out there as far as illegal drugs. So, I think you have to talk to your kids a lot from a young age,” Thurman said. “Let them know that just because a friend is doing something, that doesn’t mean you should be doing it too. Along with these drugs that aren’t prescribed, we’ve also seen problems with teens and college-aged kids exchanging prescription medication. So let them know that a prescription is only for the person who has been prescribed the medication from a doctor and should be the only person taking the medication. It’s so important to sit down and talk to your children about these issues and to let them know the dangers that are involved.”

In an effort to help you stay informed, here’s a list of 11 unsafe drugs that are either trending or have been popular recently that parents need to know about:

1. “Beezin”- This most recent trend involves teens rubbing Burt’s Bees lip balm onto their eyelids. The balm contains peppermint oil, which creates a tingling sensation that teens claim enhances the feeling of being drunk or high, helps keep them alert after a long night and increases their attention span. However, this can irritate eyes and even cause an eye infection or swelling. Teens think it’s safe to do this because Burt’s Bees is “natural” and won’t cause any harm, but that is far from the truth.

2. “Sizzurp” – This concoction is made by combining soda, candy and prescription cough medicine with codeine in it. This lethal cocktail is highly addictive because of the sweetness and is supposed to provide the user with a euphoric high. But it is extremely dangerous because it can lead to seizures and possibly cause you to stop breathing. Popular culture, including hit songs and Internet videos highlight this drug and refer to it as “purple drank,” “lean” and “syrup."

3. Caffeine powder – This powdered caffeine is used by teens to enhance their workouts and accelerate the process of weight loss. This substance is extremely easy to overdose on – one serving is a sixteenth of a teaspoon and is difficult for people to measure. According to the FDA, a teaspoon is roughly equal to 25 cups of coffee. Teens assume it’s safe to mix this powder into drinks because caffeine is in sodas, energy drinks and coffee. But high levels of caffeine can lead to rapid heartbeat, seizures and even death. You won’t see this in stores, but it’s cheap and easy to buy online.

4. E-cigarettes – This electronic form of cigarettes are battery-operated devices that produce flavored nicotine that look and feel like tobacco smoke. Even though e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, they still supply nicotine which is a highly addictive drug. But still, e-cigarettes are legal for adults. Some teenagers have used e-cigarettes to smoke marijuana and replace the nicotine with THC. Synthetic marijuana in liquid form can be ordered from the Internet and the user can get a high that is extremely potent because there is no method of dose control.

5. Club drug: MDMA – This stimulant enchants users because of its euphoric and energetic effect. It can come in a crystallized powder form “Molly” and in pill form “ecstasy.” Teens and young adults take this drug at raves, nightclubs and concerts to dance vigorously and heighten the feelings of emotional closeness. However, taking this substance can lead to dehydration, high blood pressure and severe rises in body temperature. It also can result in complications including heart attacks, heart failure, strokes and kidney failure.

6. Club drug: Rohypnol – This substance is commonly known as the “date rape drug.” At parties, people secretly place the drug in drinks. Due to the strong amnesia produced by the drug, victims have limited or no recollection of the night after taking the substance. This is why it is crucial to never take your eyes away from your drink. This drug also is referred to as “roofies” and “forget-me pill.”

7. Synthetic weed – This fake weed is a popular option for teenagers because it doesn’t show up in drug tests like regular weed. But it is incredibly unsafe and toxic because as chemists synthesize the weed, it becomes stronger and up to 80 times more potent than regular weed. There are several detrimental side effects including extreme agitation, anxiety/paranoia, vomiting, hallucinations and even brain damage. "Spice," "K-2" and "Yucatan Fire" are names associated with it.

8. Bath salts – This substance is not what we put in our bathtubs. People inject it, snort it and mix it with food or drink to receive a euphoric high. But it also can make users hallucinate, execute violent behavior and have suicidal thoughts. Watch out for these street terms: “Ivory Wave," "Purple Wave," Vanilla Sky" and "Bliss.”

9. Prescription drug: Xanax – This pill is prescribed to alleviate anxiety and panic disorders. It is extremely addictive and highly abused. Teenagers mistakenly believe that because it’s a prescription drug, it’s safer than street drugs and is free from harmful side effects. The most common street names are “bars” and “Z-bar."

10. “Huffing” – This term refers to purposefully inhaling chemical vapors to get high. Users will inhale several household items including nail polish remover, glue, felt-tip markers, spray paint, hair-care products and deodorant. This practice is not healthy and initially causes drowsiness, lightheadedness and loss of inhibition.

11. Palcohol – this new product is freeze-dried alcohol in powder form. It is packaged in small packets which makes it easy to prepare a to-go drink. But the risk of abuse and misuse is high because the accessibility of the packets could stimulate over-consumption of alcohol and lead to drunk driving. This powdered substance can be snorted as well and cause an immediate high with other harmful side effects.

*Article written by Amanda Burmeister