RENO — When Dave Jones and his wife, Cathy Bandoni, went into their son Austin’s bedroom on Jan. 18, 2009, the teen was foaming at the mouth and had purple lips and eyelids.

As much as they tried to rouse him, Austin wouldn’t wake up.

“I wasn’t just screaming and crying,” she said. “I was wailing. I was screaming outside the house waiting for the ambulance to come.”

Fifteen-year-old Austin died that morning from an accidental methadone overdose. His story is included in the film, “The Truth About Prescription Drug Use and Abuse,” which features emotional comments from his parents. The movie was shown Thursday to more than 100 students at the Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology (AACT) in Reno to educate youth about the dangers of an increasing trend in recreational misuse of prescription medications.

“After Austin died, at first we wanted to make sure he didn’t take his own life, so I started doing some research after we got the results back from toxicology,” Bandoni said. “(We found out) kids were dying using prescription drugs. … We wanted to educate kids.”

Bandoni said the coroner detected only a trace amount of methadone in Austin’s 6-foot, 200-pound body. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to kill him. The coroner called him a “naïve” user because he was unaware what the drug would do to him.

According to www.drugabuse.gov, nearly one in five teens reports abusing prescription drugs that are not prescribed to them by a doctor. They also use the medications to help relieve pain or anxiety, to help them sleep or help them concentrate.

The website also has information about the three categories most abused by teens, including opioids (OxyContin and Vicodin), benzodiazepines (Xanax and Valium) and stimulants (Ritalin and Adderall).

The AACT teens were the first to see the mini-documentary. The film was created in part by students with student actors and features Washoe District Court Judge Frances Doherty and Dr. Lisa Nelson, medical director of emergency services at Northern Nevada Medical Center in Sparks.

The video, produced by the Washoe County School District and Join Together Northern Nevada, shows teen actors choosing a combination of drugs and experts discussing what can happen if they take prescription drugs on a recreational basis. One teen, whose face is not shown, gives her account of an experience with using prescription drugs.

The teen got some Adderall, a psychostimulant that increases alertness and concentration and decreases fatigue for the user, to give to a friend to help them study. Somebody told on them and they got caught.

“It was horrible,” she said. “I couldn’t even think about it if anything were to happen to them. I don’t know what I would have done. I’m thinking, ‘This is illegal. I could go to jail right now.’ That was a huge wake-up call.”

The video left a positive impression on students, who had plenty of questions to ask school district counselors and treatment professionals after the viewing. “It’s heartbreaking and sad for the parents who have to go through this (drug abuse) with their kids,” AACT freshman Cole Proctor said.

Proctor has known several friends who have experimented with and become addicted to drugs like Adderall. However, his friendships with them didn’t last long once he found out.

Freshman Dominique Barnett also watched the effects of using prescription medications on a close friend whom she considered to be an uncle.

“It made me feel insecure,” Barnett said. “I went to my mom and she took it to the cops and he was arrested and went to prison. … (The video) has a good message for young teens and high schoolers. Why ruin your life when you have your whole future ahead of you? It’s a pretty clear message.”

Austin, who had been in recovery for about year dealing with drug issues, may not have realized how different drug combinations could be lethal, said Katherine Loudon, WCSD’s Safe and Drug Free Schools coordinator. But the main message from the video is that teens need to be aware that prescription drug abuse is just as dangerous as illegal drugs sold on the street.

Kelly Jesch, program coordinator for counseling for the WCSD, said the teens responded well to the video and were curious about the issue.

“The questions kids had speak for themselves,” she said. “Certainly there’s not enough knowledge for them. They need more information.”

Eric Ohlson of Join Together Northern Nevada said prescription drugs provide a “veil of safety” because they are recommended by a doctor.

“There’s total access in most households,” he said.

The school district has a policy that kids who are on prescribed medications have to check in their daily dose with the school nurse and can only bring that day’s dose with them. Those medications, Jesch said, are logged by the nursing staff.

Bandoni, who does guest lectures talking about the loss of her son, said she hopes the effort will gain sponsors on television so the video can be aired for the public. “I don’t want other families to suffer the way my family has suffered,” she said. “When Austin was in outpatient rehab, he vowed never to do methadone. He obviously did not know the dangers.”

Avoiding prescription drug abuse * If a teen has a problem misusing prescription drugs, call a family physician or licensed substance abuse profession. Parents can also call the substance abuse help line at 825-HELP (4357). * Parents should speak to their teens about prescription medicines and remember that illegal drugs are not the only threat. * Encourage teens to ask questions of a family doctor about the negative effects of prescribed drugs and how to recognize the signs or what to do if a teen detects they are experiencing an effect. * Keep prescription medicines in a safe place and avoid stockpiling. * Dispose of unused prescription medicines in a safe and proper manner. * Allow teens to approach parents or trusted adults about abuse. * Ensure teens are not accessing drugs online or making unapproved purchases. -- Information provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration