Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1979)
PAGE 12 APRIL 13, 1979 Danger Lurks Inside Most Medicine Chests by Steven B. Machtinger, M.D. Recently the Warm Springs community has witnessed tragic deaths and near deaths due to overdoses of drugs. While part of this problem is due to the illicit use of street drugs, the clinic has seen some overdoses caused by drugs found at home in the medicine chest. Most of us have given little thought to the potent ial dangers behind that small, mirrored door in the bathroom. Yet in most every medicine chest may be found an arsenal of poisons, dangerous medications, and even weapons. If there are small children in the home, the potential for medicine chest catastrophe z is enhanced. The pre-school child is fascinated by the things that come out of this little closet. The challenge of examining its con tents is irresistible to the two year-old child who reaches the medicine cabinet by climbing from the toilet and then to the sink. Razor blades, iodine, pres cription drugs such as tranquili zers and pain killers, even aspirins and cold remedies can be the cause of serious injury or death in the wrong hands. A child encouraged to take his medicine by being told it is candy may swallow the entire contents of a prescription bottle in a few minutes. The most common cause of poisoning in children is from aspirin. Over dose results in symptoms of bleeding, excitation, sleepiness, and rapid breathing. Death may result from an upsetting of the body’s carefully regulated acidi ty. As few as 20 adult aspirin tablets swallowed by a two-year- old at one time may cause death. Vitamins containing iron, cold tablets, and of course, poisons like antiseptics and bath room cleansers stored in the medicine cabinet can each cause death in old-timers as well as toddlers. Dad’s safety razor in a child’s hands is not a safe tool. Short of poisoning, drugs found in medicine chests are frequently misused in other ways. When a family member has a sympton of illness similar to one for which another person has received medication in the past, it is often tempting to give the sick person some of the other person’s medicine. This is a bad practice for several reasons. One person may be cougliing from a cold, another from pneu monia, a third from a weak heart, a fourth from asthma. The medicine for one will not help the problems of the other. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give your daughter your son's cough medicine when they both have a cold, but it should remind us to use common sense. Over-the- counter drugs should be used as stated in the directions. Pres cription drugs should only be used by the patient whose name is written on the bottle. When drugs are stored for long periods of time, they lose their potency. This is true of antibiotics and especially for the liquid antibiotics. Amoxicillin, even when stored in the refriger ator, will have lost most of its potency within three weeks after leaving the pharmacy. To give someone medicine that has been Public Notices As required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the following notices are posted on behalf of the local Headstart and Day Care Programs. “The Warm Springs Head Start Program announces the sponsorhip of the USDA Child Care Food Program . Meals will be made available to enrolled children at no separate charge without regard to race, color, or national origin. +Meals will be provided at the sites listed below: Warm Springs Head Start Program Community Center The Warm Springs Head Start - Day Care Program an nounces the sponsorhip of the USDA Child Care Food Pro gram. Meals will be made avail able to enrolled children at no separate charge without regard to race, color, or national origin. -(-Meals will be provided at the sites listed below: Warm Springs Head Start - Day Care Program Head Start - Day Care Trailer ' pain. We prefer Tylenol for children, as it is safer. For most adults aspirin is a good choice, especially because it’s good for aches and pains of arthritis and muscle soreness. If aspirin is used only occasionally at home, there is no reason to buy the .. . * large bottle, as by the time you most or us nave given get to the bottom the last pills will have lost their strength. Cold remedies, such as Acti- little thought to the fed, Dimetapp and Robitussin, can also be kept in the medicine potential dangers chest and used when needed. Mild laxatives, such as Colace behind that small and Milk of Magnesia, diarrheal medicines, such as Kaopectate, mirrored door. and medicines for acid stomach, such as Maalox and Peptobis- mol, are all relatively safe. A two year-old child These can be kept on the lower shelf of the medicine chest. If a can reach the small child were to take one of these medicines, it would be medicine cabinet by unlikely to cause a serious illness. Ex-Lax and Donnagel should be kept on a top shelf out climbing from the of reach of curious hands. Lomo til is a dangerous drug that toilet and then should be thrown away after the patient with diarrhea has recov to the sink. ered. Every home should have some first aid material, such as bandages, bandaids, adhesive tape, and a clean handkerchief for controlling bleeding. These can be kept on a lower shelf. Antiseptics like hydrogen perox ide and iodine should be kept up high out of reach. Prescription drugs taken everyday, such as diabetes medicine and high blood pres sure pills, should also be stored on the high shelves of medicine chests. Perhaps a safer place for them would be in a drawer used by the person taking that drug. Such medicines should be kept in the back of the drawer away from the easy reach of young stored in the medicine cabinet should be thrown away, too. Old children. Drugs should never be for a long time may do nothing to drugs can be flushed down the left, on counters or tables around help him feel better, but may toilet or placed in the garbage the house. Syrup of Ipecac is a liquid make him worse. can outside the house. The clinic Many drugs cause side will run a door-to-door old drugs medicine that causes vomiting. effects, such as vomiting, sto collection drive sometime this If the person is given this syrup mach cramps and rashes. Even spring. The medicines collected shortly after taking an overdose after a drug’s potency is gone, it will be disposed of properly and of pills, the Ipecac will produce vomiting of the undigested may. still cause side-effects. safely. Good sense tells us what we Cleansers, poisons, Drano drugs. It is a good antidote for should and shouldn’t keep in our and old razor blades should not overdosages of pills and may be medicine chest. Any old medi be kept in the medicine chest. kept in the medicine chest and cine should be thrown away. They should be stored in another used for such emergencies. The Even aspirin loses its potency safe place or disposed of if there correct use of Ipecac will be described in a future article. after two or three years and is no need for them Making your home and should be replaced with a fresh What should be kept at home supply. for simple illnesses and first-aid medicine chest safe is really an When a patient is done with a measures? Aspirin and Tylenol easy thing that takes little time. prescription medicine and there are good drugs for relief of fever, It is the kind of thing a person are a few pills left over, they headaches and mild to moderate can do to ensure the health of himself and of his loved ones. Cancer Crusade Week April 16-20 Contribution envelopes available at Macy's Store C an c er is one of the m ost curable of all major diseases..« if it’s detected in time. The earlier cancer is detected, the better the chances for cure. If YOU have a warning signal, see your doctor promptly. THE SEVEN WARNING SIGNALS 1. Change in bowel or bladder habits 2. A sore that does not heal 3. Unusual bleeding or discharge 4. Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere 5. Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing 6. Obvious change in wart or mole 7. Nagging cough or hoarseness Call your local ACS Unit for m ore information.
