Transcript Is It Medicine or Is it Candy?

Is It Medicine or Is it Candy?
Catherine M. Tom, PharmD
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health
Sciences
Long Island University
Clinical Pharmacy Manager, Pediatrics
Children’s Hospital at Montefiore®
Why Should We Care?
• It’s a public health concern!
• In 2003, 2.4 million calls were made to
the AAPCC for accidental poisonings
– Peak volume between 4 to 10 pm
– Where do they occur most often?
• 92.6% occurred at a residence
• 1.5% in schools
– Children under 6 years comprise >50% of
cases reported; 3.1% fatalities
• Children younger than 3 make up 39% cases
Substances Most Frequently Involved
in Adult Exposures
• Analgesics
• Sedatives/hypnotics/
antipsychotics
• Cleaning substances
• Antidepressants
• Bites/envenomations
• Alcohols
• Cardiovascular drugs
• Food products, food
poisoning
• Cosmetics and
personal care
products
• Pesticides
• Chemicals
• Hydrocarbons
• Fumes/gases/vapors
• Anticonvulsants
• Antihistamines
• Stimulants/Street Rx
Substances Most Frequently Involved
in Pediatric Exposures
• Cosmetics and
Personal Care
Products
• Cleaning substances
• Analgesics
• Foreign bodies
• Topicals
• Cough and cold
preparations
• Plants
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Pesticides
Vitamins
Antimicrobials
Antihistamines
Arts/crafts/office
supplies
• GI preparations
• Hormones/hormone
antagonists
• Electrolytes/minerals
Consequences of Accidental Ingestions
• Emergency department visit
• Hospitalization
• Death (under 6 years)
– 9 unintentional
– 7 environmental
– 8 therapeutic errors
– *12 deaths associated with OTC drugs
– *6 deaths from prescription medications
• 3 opioids
• 2 anticonvulsants
– *1 death from adverse drug reaction
Honestly, I’m not trying to sell
you anything!
•Not insurance.
•Not cleaning supplies.
•We’re trying to help you use medications safely.
•Here is some helpful information you might be
interested in.
Goals of the Board
• Reach families with young kids at home
– Parents
– Older siblings
– Grandparents
• Demonstrate how much medicine and
candy look alike
– a visual worth a thousand words
• Raise awareness about medication
safety
Some Tips to Offer Parents
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Be honest.
Child-proof your home.
Don’t switch containers.
Dispose of medication properly.
Read labels carefully.
Talk to your family.
Top 10 Teaching Points
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Kids move fast.
Accidental poisonings can be prevented.
Involve the entire family when teaching.
Medicine is not candy.
Do not pretend candy is medicine.
Measure the medicine accurately.
Medicine should not be shared like candy.
Lock it up and keep it out of reach of children.
Know the Poison Control Center’s phone
number (1-800-222-1222).
10. Over-the-counter medicines and herbal
supplements are not safe.
A little education goes a LONG
way!
YOU can make a difference today!
Some Helpful Websites
1. http://www.ncpoisoncenter.org/Educational/downloads/Candy
MedicineLookAlike.pdf
2. Poison Prevention Packing: A Text for Pharmacists &
Physicians. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
Washington, D.C. CPSC 384. 1999. Accessible at URL:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/384.pdf.
3. Watson WA et al. 2003 Annual Report of the American
Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure
Surveillance System. Available at URL:
http://www.aapcc.org/Annual%20Reports/03report/Annual%2
0Report%202003.pdf.
4. http://www.poisonprevention.org/main.html
5. http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/poison/poison.html