Guarding against prescription drug abuse during the holidays

During the holidays it’s more than likely that you’ll be getting together with grandparents and older relatives for extended visits. Many seniors don’t realize the increasing danger of prescription drug abuse occurring among teens. According to the Partnership at DrugFree.org as many as 1 in 5 teens have used a prescription drug to get high without having a prescription for it themselves. Whether you are visiting older adults this season or the grandparents are coming to stay with you keep these suggestions in mind:

Educate yourself and your teen. Many teens think it's safer to use prescription drugs than street drugs because they are FDA regulated. They aren't aware that there are many risks and dangers of using prescription drugs. When you talk to your kids about illegal drugs, tell them about prescription drug abuse as well.

Monitor Medication. Do you know how many pills are in your prescription bottles or grandma's prescription bottle? Would you notice if just one pill was missing? Teens will start to take one or two pills at a time, in hopes that no one will notice any is missing and unfortunately this is often the case. Keep track and count of all your prescription medication so you'll easily know if pills start to go missing.

Secure Medication. Teens know where to find prescription drugs, the medicine cabinet is the first place they will check. Especially with guests coming over, teens will want to experiment with something new. Keep your medication and your relative’s medication in a less obvious and safer place. Secure medication in a locked cabinet or in a place where only one prescribed the medication knows where it is. Treat your medication like you would treat valuable household items, out of access to teens.

Dispose of all Medication Properly. Teens will rummage through the garbage to find prescription drugs without getting caught. Make sure when you get rid of pills they are in a non-see-through container with some undesirable mixed in like coffee grounds. Make sure your relatives do the same.

Explain the Issue to Relatives. They may not be aware of the dangers of their medication getting into someone else's hands. Talk to your relatives about the importance of securing medication from teens.

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