I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I am committed to doing an important chore really soon. That chore is cleaning out my medicine cabinets, kitchen cabinet and purse of all old and unneeded prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and locking up the ones that we use.The reason for this is that I don’t want these drugs available to my tween-age sons, or their friends, in case they are tempted to experiment. They’re in middle school now, and will probably hear about kids taking prescription or OTC drugs to get high. I’ve been keeping my painkillers, my son’s ADHD meds, and OTC cold medicines in a kitchen cabinet. All of these drugs are frequently abused, so that has to change. My kids are good kids, and we’ve talked about illegal drugs a lot, but middle schoolers want to be cool, and are subject to peer pressure, and may feel rebellious or depressed. I can’t risk leaving these meds where my kids can access them.
I’m going to keep these medicines locked up for many years. Even when kids are in college, if they’re home over a break, they may get bored or lonely. Parents need to remain vigilant during those times.
Once I remove all the expired and unneeded meds from my cabinets, I’ll be disposing of them in the proper manner. Unless they have specific instructions otherwise, most medications can be thrown out, but first you should remove pills from their original containers, mix them with something yucky like kitty litter, and put the mixture in a sealed bag or container for disposal. Except for a few specific prescription medications, you shouldn't flush your meds, as doing so could unnecessarily add to the chemical substances polluting our waterways.
And when I'm done getting rid of my old meds, I’m going to sit down and talk to my kids about prescription drug abuse, the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States.
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