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Help Stop Perscription Drug Abuse
Discard YOUR Expired and Unused Medicine Properly
Parents and caregivers are the first line of defense in addressing a teenager's abuse of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Learn how prevalent this behavior has become and find out what you can do to remedy the situation.
Friends and the family medicine cabinet are the major sources of these drugs. More than seventy percent of people who abuse prescription painkillers say they get them from family or friends. Others may abuse their own prescription medicine. Teens also report that these drugs are not hard to find. About 40 percent of 12th graders say that painkillers are fairly or very easy to get, and more than half say the same of stimulants.
Where should you look to make sure prescription drugs are not readily available?
- At Home: A teen may scout his own home first if he's looking to get high from prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
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With Friends: Talk with the parents in other households your teen has access to about safeguarding medications.
- With Relatives: Grandparents may be another source of prescription drugs for teens. In fact, 10 percent of teens say they took drugs from friends or relatives without asking.
Rid your home of any expired or unused medicines on Saturday, November 13th at a drop-off center in your area. Bring painkillers, such as those drugs prescribed after surgery; depressants, such as sleeping pills or anti-anxiety drugs; and stimulants, such as those drugs prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Every day an estimated 2,500 youth age 12-17 abuse a pain reliever for the first time.
There are serious health risks related to abuse of prescription drugs. A single large dose of prescription or over-the-counter painkillers or depressants can cause breathing difficulty that can lead to death. Stimulant abuse can lead to hostility or paranoia, or the potential for heart system failure or fatal seizures. Even in small doses, depressants and painkillers have subtle effects on motor skills, judgment, and ability to learn.
The abuse of OTC cough and cold remedies can cause blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, coma, and even death. Many teens report mixing prescription drugs, OTC drugs, and alcohol. Using these drugs in combination can cause respiratory failure and death.
Prescription and OTC drug abuse is addictive. Between 1995 and 2005, treatment admissions for prescription painkillers increased more than 300 percent.
Make a point of cleaning out your medicine cabinet this Saturday and dispose of all unused or expired medication safely at the drop-off center in your area. Find your local drop-off center.
If you dispose of your unused prescription medication at home, be sure to do it properly so that it doesn't get into the hands of children; isn't eaten by animals; and doesn't harm the environment. DO NOT flush it down the toilet or pour it into the sink. This will only get into our waterways and drinking water.
Be Proactive
Dispose of Unused Medication
In Household Trash |
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When discarding unused medications, ensure you protect children and pets from potentially negative effects: |
1. Pour medication into a sealable plastic bag. If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), add water to dissolve it.
2. Add kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds (or any material that mixes with the medication and makes it less appealing for pets and children to eat) to the plastic bag.
3. Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash.
4. Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from all medication containers before recycling them or throwing them away. |
Pick up the phone and dial 2-1-1 when you need help.
You are encouraged to dial “2-1-1” 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need help in understanding and finding available assistance services. Language translation and TTY services are offered to any caller. You can also
search the database of services in your local community or Chat Live with an experienced community resource specialist. 2-1-1 will help identify with you the best local resources to fit your individual needs during times of financial distress or for life’s everyday situations.
If you know of additional resources that would be appropriate to include, please let us know by contacting us via e-mail at info@nj211.org.
Research Sources Included
http://www.americanmedicinechest.com/index.php
http://www.theantidrug.com/drug-information/otc-prescription-drug-abuse/prescription-drug-dangers/default.aspx
http://www.smarxtdisposal.net/index.html
Page last modified 10.13.10
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