April 27 is DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day provided by AWARxE Consumer Protection Program. I had to opportunity to interview the Executive Director of National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foundation (NABP), Dr. Carmen Catizone to answer some my questions about preventing and handling prescription drug abuse in kids.
What are some early prevention techniques parents can use for very young children to keep them from experimenting?
Catizone: Parents can follow general poison prevention guidelines to help protect very young children from accidental ingestion and experimentation with prescription drugs. For example, never call medicine “candy” to entice a child to take it.
Also, parents should start teaching children to never take a medication without approved adult supervision. Children can be educated that taking the wrong kind of medicine or too much medicine could make them very sick. More generally, parents can teach children to never put anything in their mouth if they are not sure that it is safe to eat.
The video “STOP! Ask First” from the American Association of Poison Control Centers is a useful tool for educating young children on this issue. The video can be found on the Student page of the AWARXE Web site.
Modeling safe medication use for children can also help. There are numerous tips for safely administering medications to children on the Safety Tips for Children page of the AWARXE Web site.
What are some ways to help prevent prescription drug abuse in my child?
Catizone: An important step is to talk with teens about the serious dangers of prescription drug abuse. This step is important as many teens do not realize that abusing prescription drugs is just as dangerous as using illicit drugs. For example, a recent survey revealed that less than 36% of 8th grade students see occasional nonmedical use of Vicodin or OxyContin as a great risk. However, most 8th grade students perceive regular marijuana use and occasional heroin use as a great risk.
There are many resources on AWARErx.org that can help initiate conversations with your children. For teens, a video recommended by AWARXE, called The Road to Nowhere, tells the story of a teen who experimented with prescription drugs at a party and became addicted to the drugs. A link to the video is available on the AWARXE Get Local Oklahoma page. Also, the AWARXE Student page includes resources for elementary school students, as well as for middle school and high school students.
What are signs that your child is lying to you about their prescription drug abuse?
Catizone: Side effects associated with prescription drug abuse include dizziness, loss of appetite, unconsciousness, impaired memory, mood swings, loss of motor coordination, trouble breathing and rapid or irregular heartbeat.
In addition to watching for side effects, you may want to keep a close eye on medications stored in the home. Keep an inventory of the number of pills so that you can determine if any are missing.
What steps can I take in my house to prevent my child or my children’s friends from getting prescription drugs?
Catizone: In addition to talking with their children about prescription drug abuse dangers, parents should securely store all medications in the household. For example, you may want to lock your medications in a secure cabinet or a medicine safe. In particular, you should securely store controlled substance prescription drugs, such as certain pain medications and ADHD medications. Remember that sometimes prescription drugs are taken out of medicine cabinets by visitors to the home, such as a teen’s guests.
You may also wish to keep track of the number of pills left in the bottle.
If you have pills or medication that is no longer needed or has expired, dispose of it at an authorized DEA Take-Back location, or a local medication disposal program. The next DEA Take-Back Day is April 27, 2013 and collection sites will be located across the country.
More information about the DEA Take-Back Day is available on the AWARXE Medication Disposal page. A link to the DEA Take-Back Day locator will be added to the page as soon as DEA makes it available.
What can a parent do if their child seems to have a problem with prescription drugs?
Catizone: Seeking advice and assistance from your family health care provider, such as your doctor is recommended. Your doctor can provide information and/or referrals to local programs that help identify abuse and treat addiction.
If teens are in need of help, a school’s guidance counselor can also be an excellent resource for local information.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides an online substance abuse treatment locator and links to resources about addiction and treatment on its Web site.
Links for cited Web pages:
- AWARXE Get Local Oklahoma: http://www.awarerx.org/get-local/oklahoma
- AWARXE Medication Disposal: www.awarerx.org/get-informed/find-disposal-information
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration online treatment locator: http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/TreatmentLocator/faces/quickSearch.jspx
- AWARXE Student page: www.awarerx.org/students
AWARXE Safety Tips for Children: http://www.awarerx.org/get-informed/appropriate-use/safety-tips-for-children
Dr Catizone is the Executive Director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) and the Secretary of the Association’s Executive Committee.