Are You Leaving Pills in Reach of Teens?

young man taking prescription drugs from medicine cabinet

A new study from Johns Hopkins reveals that most parents still haven’t received the message that pills need to be locked up to keep them out of young family members’ hands. This new survey, published in the March edition of Pediatrics, asked 681 adults who had been prescribed painkillers about the ways they stored pills in the home. All those surveyed had children in the home under 17 years of age. And yes, 70% of these parents said that they leave pills out in the open, on counters and dressers or in purses.

This survey from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health provides a vital look at the state of pill availability to vulnerable youth. Very small children see their parents taking pills and might think they are candy. Teens hear or read about the “awesome high” available from opioids like Vicodin or OxyContin and they get curious. The pills are right there—in the kitchen or mom’s purse or maybe at grandma’s bedside.

And since the bottle is almost full, they figure mom or dad won’t miss five or six. So they take them to a party or use them with a couple of friends. It’s significant that 40% of high school seniors consider painkillers “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get.

A Road to Ruin

Inappropriate use of painkillers has been the beginning of the end for many people. A 2014 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration noted that every day, 1,754 young adults (aged 18 to 25) used painkillers non-medically for the first time. With some people, the very first use is enough to compel them to get more pills and use them again. For others, it might take a few weeks of misuse to be unable to put them down and walk away.

When illicitly-manufactured fentanyl and other dangerous synthetic opioids hit the market a few years ago, the misuse of prescription drugs took on an even more ominous character. Now, any person acquiring pills from anyone other than a pharmacist could wind up with counterfeit pills containing the incredibly powerful fentanyl or the even more powerful carfentanil. When these or other strong illicit opioids are used in these fake pills, it is very easy to overdose.

Saving Lives

Remember the quote from Benjamin Franklin on the small problems that can add up to huge disasters?

For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.”

It’s like that with prescription drugs. Because there wasn’t a locking pill case, a young person could get into the pills and try a few. Because he liked the feeling they gave him, he found and tried some more. Because he now had an “urge” to use, he bought some pills from a drug dealer. But because those pills were counterfeit, he overdosed on fentanyl.

Don’t let youth in your home—your own or neighbors’—or anyone else have access to your pills. Keep them locked up and dispose of or destroy them when you don’t need them anymore. There are many locking cases available online. Home improvement stores have locking medicine cabinets that can be installed. If nothing else, buy a locking box at an office supply store. And then, most important of all, keep your pills in it every moment that they are not actually being taken. This single action might be the thing that saves the life of someone you love.

AUTHOR

Sue Birkenshaw

Sue has worked in the addiction field with the Narconon network for three decades. She has developed and administered drug prevention programs worldwide and worked with numerous drug rehabilitation centers over the years. Sue is also a fine artist and painter, who enjoys traveling the world which continues to provide unlimited inspiration for her work. You can follow Sue on Twitter, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

NARCONON OJAI

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION