Stop cough medicine abuse before it starts if you can. If you just recently noticed that your cough syrup has mysteriously gotten low, that could be a sign that medicine abuse is already taking place with your child or your child’s friends. Be vigilant, be aware, and stop cough medicine abuse if you suspect it’s happening. Cough medicine abuse is a real problem in this country, and it’s important to stay on top of it when you have children in that delicate teen/tween age where everything seems harder and more stressful.
*This is a sponsored post with KYOTC. All my opinions are my own and not swayed by outside sources.*
What You Need to Know About Medicine Abuse
October is National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month, and it is absolutely something all parents need to be aware of. None of us want to think about the possibility that our children or their friends might abuse our legal cough medications. BUT… 1 in 30 teens, or about 1 in every high school class has abused OTC cough medicine.
To stop cough medicine abuse, you need to armed with knowledge, and that’s what I’m trying to bring to all of you today. The reason cough medicine abuse happens is it’s active ingredient easily gives them a high. Dextromethorphan, or DXM, is the active ingredient in most OTC cough medicines. That’s what gets the kids high, but in order to get that high, kids have to take as much as 25 times or more of the recommended dose. That is highly dangerous. Side effects of abusing DXM can include vomiting, rapid heartbeat, and loss of motor skills.
How You Can Stop Medicine Abuse
Cough medicine abuse is real, and it’s a real problem in this country. With the widespread use of OTC cough medications, it’s incredibly easy or teens and tweens to get their hands on this stuff, so how can you stop medicine abuse?
Be Vigilant
Keep a close eye on your OTC cough medications. By monitoring the amount of medications you have, you can spot inconsistencies that may indicate medicine abuse.
Talk With Your Kids
Let them know that you are monitoring the medications in your home. Don’t give them the impression that you don’t trust them, just let them know you’re doing it. Just knowing that you are keeping an eye on things could help deter your child or your child’s friends from giving into peer pressure and temptation.
It’s also important to explain to them how dangerous the abuse of OTC cough medications can be and that this is not an answer to making them feel better about their lives or problems. Make sure they know you are always there as a non-judgemental sounding board for their problems.
Be Aware of Medication Ingredients
This is the season of coughs, colds, and flu, which makes it the season of OTC cough medications being readily available to everyone with access to your medicine cabinet. When you buy medications, check the PARENTS icon on packages of cough and cold medicines to be aware of which ones contain DXM. The icon points to StopMedicineAbuse.org, a place where parents can learn more about the abuse of these medications by teens and how to stop medicine abuse.
Stop Medicine Abuse
To successfully stop cough medicine abuse, you need to be aware of it and take preventative measures to make sure it’s a non-issues. I hope the information in this post has helped you to do that. And don’t forget to look for the PARENTS label on all OTC cough medications so you know which ones contain DXM.