Save Kids' Lives by Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse

A new study just published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine notes that thousands of children aged five and under have been poisoned by prescription painkillers in the last few years. Eight of these children died and 43 suffered life-threatening injuries. Another 214 experienced moderate effects.

Drugs included in the study were opioid painkillers such as oxydcodone, hydrocodone, and methadone. Opioid drugs are similar to opiate narcotics such as morphine but are not derived from opium. Another drug in the list was buprenorphine, a newer drug used in the treatment of opioid addiction.

Opioids can cause such a suppression of the respiratory system that young children simply stop breathing. The rapid growth in the number of prescriptions in the last decade means that tens of millions of households have opioid painkillers present, increasing the threat to young, curious children.

“Opioid pain relievers provide a better quality of life for those in severe pain, but they are also addictive,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions at Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma. Narconon is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, offering a full range of services from in-patient rehabilitation to free consultations to those struggling with addiction and referrals to treatment programs. “If a person finds they can’t quit taking these drugs when they are no longer needed, that person needs help to overcome that addiction. Every household that can be freed from opioid pain relievers is a household that is safer for young children.”

Opioid painkillers are not only dangerous to young children. Older children seeking substances to abuse commonly obtain prescription medications from family members. Leftover prescriptions and medications stored in medicine chests or purses are the primary source for teens who abuse prescription drugs.

To read the rest of this article, please go to: Save Kids' Lives. Or visit the website of Narconon Arrowhead.