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.