Sunday marked the beginning of National Poison Prevention Week and Kentucky’s Poison Control Center is taking the time to raise awareness about one of the most potentially dangerous poisons found at home.
In 2023, the Center says 65% of its calls involved prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, or supplements.
Maria Chapman with Kentucky’s Poison Control Center of Norton Children’s says for the first time in her 10 years working at the center, supplements ranked in the top five calls for kids aged five and younger.
Chapman adds anything can be poisonous if it is used in the wrong way or by the wrong person. Common mistakes include accidentally taking too much of a medication or taking the wrong medication.
For kids, sometimes over-dosing is the result of parents miscommunicating and accidentally giving their child daily medication twice.
Chapman says the best rule of thumb is to treat over-the-counter medications and vitamins with the same respect you would a prescription by storing them up and out of reach of children and keeping them in the original child-resistant containers. Even if it is in a blister pack, keep it in the original container so you know what it is and then just have a system for giving medication to kids.
The center responded to more than 34,000 cases in 2023. If you ever find yourself in a poisoning emergency, you can call the 24/7 hotline at 1-800-222-1222.
Source: WAVE
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