Quote From: wildfire1969It seems every few months, I post a message someplace when I see this topic of kids and prescription drug abuse rear it's ugly head. The reason is I've been there, and done it as the mother of a 14 year old boy that overdosed on methadone. Believe me when I tell you it was the worst 18 hours of my life, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Since that day almost 2 1/2 years ago, I've learned so much. I testified to a provincial task force on methadone back in January of 2007, just six weeks after my son's overdose, in an effort to convince the government of Ontario that they needed to action on "diverted carries" and the illicit methadone trade in Ontario. I helped convince them to put a recommendation in place that has yet to be acted upon.
What I wanted to share today is what every parent should know, but most likely doesn't about prescription drug abuse. I learned these lessons the hard way, and I hope other parents won't have to. Saying "Not my kid." is just a way to deny reality, because I was convinced it would never happen to my son. It's sad to see how wrong I was.
1. Teach your children that abusing prescription medication is the same as using illicit drugs like crystal meth or crack cocaine. Since kids are given prescription medication and see their parents take it, they assume it's not harmful or addictive to abuse these drugs.
2. Make it a rule to never go into your medicine cabinet or put a lock on it. Keep an inventory of what drugs you have in there. These days kids can steal almost any drug from Gravol to Cough Syrup and sell it at school to another child. This happens in Elementary schools, Highschools and playgrounds in parks. Do not assume it's not happening where your kids go to school, because you'd be tragically wrong.
3. Monitor what your kids are doing online. Don't let them have access to your credit card or their own. If you think I'm kidding, try doing a google search for "purchase methadone" and then see how many websites you can order methadone from without a prescription or doctor's visit. After my son's overdose, it was somewhere around 10,000 websites.
4. Teach your kids that ANY drug they buy outside of a pharmacy may not be what they think it is. My son thought he bought Gravol pills, not methadone. They were packaged to look like Gravol, had the Gravol trademark on them, and he had no reason to believe he was taking anything else, even after we had his toxicology results showing he'd taken methadone.
5. Teach your children to NEVER take medication that another child gives them. There's a hot trade in school yards for Ritalin and Adderall. Also, teach your kids to never give their medications to anyone else or to sell those pillls.
I'm sure these comments will shock some parents and they'll still be saying "Not my kid." Just remember, I was convinced that it wouldn't be my son either. I WAS SO WRONG.
Luckily, my story has a happy ending. After 18 hours, my son woke up with no lasting physical effects of his overdose. He turned 17 in December, and he's a wonderful, polite, smart and mature young man. He acknowledged he did a very stupid thing when he bought and took those pills. He no longer abuses drugs, and I can't believe how lucky I am. I just wish I could forget those 18 hours of my life, because they still really hurt when I realize how close I came to losing the most important person in my life.
I would like to add another tip to your list. To those who take prescription pain med's or narcotics of any kind on a monthly basis, remove the label on the bottle before you throw it away and burn or destroy it. You would be surprised by how many people may go through your trash. If someone realizes that you have types med's in your home, the label will have your name, address, etc. and the name of the drug, they could easily break into your home looking for them to steal. I also suggest that you keep them under lock and key and hidden in a good spot, not easily found.
I have to take a pain med on a regular basis and keep them hidden at all times. I also move them to an even safer place when we have any teens or company coming to the house. I never assume that someone won't steal my medication. I also never carry my prescription bottle in my purse, it too can be stolen.
Please, those labels show it all! Destroy them them so they can't be found.
(Original Air Date: 01/12/09) While battling cancer, Paula says she missed the signs that her 21-year-old daughter, C.J., was disconnecting from the family and turning to drugs to heal her anguish. After Paula’s husband, Jim, had an affair, the signs of trouble with their daughter became clearer. Since then, the family has done everything, including rehab, counseling and tough love, but nothing has kept C.J. drug free. Now C.J. ingests combinations of 13 prescription and street drugs, and is on the edge of killing herself. Anthony, her brother, is fed up and says she is ruining their family. Can they survive the constant turmoil? And is C.J. ready to get clean? Next, one of the heroin twins returns to Dr Phil to celebrate one year of sobriety and share her difficult road to recovery. Plus, emergency room physician and host of The Doctors Dr. Travis Stork says that he rarely spends a night in the E.R. without seeing a victim of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Find out the most common mistakes people make and the questions you should ask yourself before you take a pill. Join the discussion.
