Teen and child drug overdose is a serious issue in the United States.

Health studies show, each year more than 70,000 teens and children are rushed to the emergency room  because of drug poisoning from overdosing on medication.

KETK spoke to David Davis, Pharmacist, at Good's Medicine Chest in Tyler.

"It's a very serious issue, it is on the rise, as a matter of fact among teens, prescription drug abuse is rising faster than marijuana and alcohol at this point," says David Davis, Pharmacist.

Davis tells KETK,there are several misconceptions, when you talk about prescription drug use.

"Your teens believe that prescription drug abuse is safer than abusing illegal or street drugs, which is wrong, they're both dangerous drugs," David Davis, Pharmacist.

Davis says, kids believe there are fewer side effects than street drugs, and he tells KETK about another misconception.

"Feel like it's not illegal to abuse prescription drugs, when in fact it is illegal to abuse a prescription drug or take a prescription drug that's intended for someone else," David Davis, Pharmacist.

The most common over-the-counter drugs that teens overdose on are...pain reliever pills, allergy pills and cough syrups.