Although some teens and young adults reach for the NyQuil for relief from a nasty cold, others hit the bottle to get high.

A recent national survey reported that teens and young adults are using over-the-counter cold and cough medication to get high. It's cheap and accessible, but it also can kill you.

An overdose of cough and cold medication can lead to blurred vision, loss of physical coordination, vomiting, muscle spasms, an irregular heartbeat, out-of-body delirium or death, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration news release.

In the Augusta area, law enforcement officials say the abuse of prescription medications is more prevalent than the abuse of over-the-counter drugs.

Richmond County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Meagher said deputies are not really looking for over-the-counter abuse.

"There are so many other problems out there with prescription drugs, meth and cocaine and marijuana," he said.

What's common in Richmond County is abuse of prescription drugs Oxycodone, OxyContin and Valium, Sgt. Meagher said. Many times, these are used along with alcoholic beverages, especially by people of college age.

"They're adding to their high," he said.

That's when it begins to be a major health issue, said Dr. Christopher Gibbs, the medical director of Urgent Care M.D.

"The prescription abuse in this area is a big problem," he said.

He hasn't seen over-the-counter abuse, he said, but he wouldn't typically look for it. A surprising number of people are abusing prescription drugs, he said.

"You see them down as young as 17 and 18," he said.

Across the river, Aiken County sheriff's Lt. Michael Frank said neither the juvenile nor the narcotics departments has run into the abuse of over-the-counter medications.

"They (narcotics) hear it's out there," he said.

Prescription drugs are a common problem in Aiken County.

"Our narcotics investigators routinely run into individuals buying and selling prescription drugs," he said.

The only difference between the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, Sgt. Meagher said, is accessibility.

"They can walk right to the store and get it," he said.

Access to prescription drugs is as easy for teens as looking into their parents' medicine cabinet, according to Cathy Hayes, the director of community support programs at Serenity Behavioral Health System in Augusta.

Prescription pills carry a higher risk of addiction, but there's still a risk of addiction in abusing over-the-counter drugs.

"If someone takes them enough and gets high, they may get addicted," Ms. Hayes said.

Abuse of depressant prescription medications, such as Valium, can lead to confusion, impaired coordination, and respiratory depression and arrest.

The abuse of opioids and morphine derivatives, such as OxyContin, can lead to respiratory depression, unconsciousness, coma, sedation and death, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The danger is increased when it's combined with another substance, Sgt. Meagher said.

"They can die very easily and not even realize it," he said.

Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.