Drugs consumed by kids or pets accidently can prove fatal at times. Emphasis here is as to how we can avoid such mishaps which is much needed in India.

Team@CMHF

Spring is bringing a perfect storm of assaults on the upper respiratory system.

A late peak of the flu season, an early arrival of allergy season and seesaw weather patterns combine to send millions to the pharmacy.

With all those prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs coming into the house, experts say parents, pet owners and the rest of us may need to put a little extra thought into how we handle, store and dispose of medicines.

Pediatric researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston reported last fall that 30 percent of acetaminophen found in homes with young children (ages 2-6) out of the 24 homes studied was stored unsafely. And a total of 22 percent of the drugs found in these homes were stored unsafely. Nearly all the homes had at least one expired medication on the shelf.

One of the most dangerous times for kids – and pets – is when people first come into the house and drop shopping and personal bags on the floor or bench for “just a few” while taking off their coat or checking phone messages.

“Put the medicines away first thing,’’ Dehn said. “With pets, dogs in particular, they’ll chew through anything that smells meaty or like food – and whatever else might be with it.”

Other threats can arise in multigenerational households when seniors leave brightly colored – and easy-open – pillboxes on tables or counters. “Kids are used to finding toys or crafts inside those little containers, and they’ll grab them and investigate,’’ Dehn said.

Among preteens and teens, the risks can shift from not recognizing medicine to knowing just what they are, snagging pain and other pills for illicit use.
Here are a few other tips:

Use child-resistant caps, but don’t rely on them – most kids will eventually figure out a way to open these containers.

Keep medicines in their original containers.

Put drugs back after each use and be careful about dropping bottles or leaving meds out if the phone or doorbell rings.

Get rid of the old stuff.

The American Medical Association recently launched a safety campaign urging people to give their medicine chests a checkup, making sure that what’s needed is up-to-date and throwing out expired or unneeded products.

New AMA guidelines stress that the best way to dispose of unused medicine is at a pharmacy collection site. Many drugstores have them. But if you must throw drugs out as part of the household trash, make them as nasty and unpalatable as possible by mixing them with coffee grounds, cooking oil or kitty litter and placing them in a sealed plastic bag. Remove labels from bottles before disposing of them.

Ref: http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/livinghealth/954780-224/handling-drugs-safely-at-home.html