Have you ever thought about getting a lock box for your medications? Using a lock box for medication in your home can prevent accidental overdoses, theft, and potential misuse. Every year thousands of children and teens are harmed by taking medications without parental consent or by misusing over the counter and prescription medications. If any of the following situations apply to your household, it may be a good idea to consider getting a lock box.
- You have prescription medications of any type in your home. Prescription opioids are highly addictive and frequently misused, but any prescription medication can cause harm if taken by anyone other than the individual it was prescribed to.
- You have over the counter medications. Many over the counter medications for colds contain Dextromethorphan (DXM). This ingredient has been used by teens to obtain a high and when taken in large quantities can lead to overdose.
- You have medical marijuana. Medical marijuana has been accidentally ingested by young children, especially when it is in the form of edibles and leads to an unintentional poisoning. In addition, this is a substance that teenagers may experiment with. Lock it up.
- You have pet medications. Pet medications are often the same medications that humans use, especially when it comes to pain killers. Even pet medications have the potential to cause harm and be misused.
The good news is that there several different ways that you can protect your home and everyone in it from the harms of medication misuse. If you have any old or unwanted prescription medications, you can use DisposeRX at home to safely deactivate the medication and prepare it for disposal. You can purchase any box that you are able to lock, to store all your medications in. Another option is to purchase a cabinet lock, which can be installed on any cabinet in your home and requires a key to open it. Also, many pharmacies, fire and police stations provide a disposal service that you can use. For a list of Arizona drop off locations, visit: https://www.azdhs.gov/gis/rx-drop-off-locations/index.php
These are just a few ideas on how to keep your medication safe. Remember even if you don’t have children of your own, keep in mind guests that stay with you, nieces and nephews, or grandchildren that may visit. It’s important to lock up our medications to prevent accidental poisonings and medication misuse. If you would like to know more about lock boxes please click here. If you would like to find out how to get DisposeRX for your home, please email the South Mountain Works Coalition at info@SouthMountainWorks.org.
