Children are well-known for their high level of curiosity, and sometimes it's their desire to explore and satisfy their curiosity that lands them in hospitals.
Reports about accidental poisoning among children have been released over the last few years. In 2010, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration revealed that in 2008 no less than 65,000 children between the ages of 5 and younger were brought to the emergency room for accidental poisoning treatment. Around 40% were 2 years old.
Moreover, based on a recently released data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 9,000 children below the age of six landed in hospitals from 2007 to 2011 because of accidental poisoning from ingesting drugs and medications. Over 70% of these affected children range from 1 to 2 years old.
Most of these medications are those commonly found in households including painkillers like Oxycontin and Vicodin, as well as the Valium, Ativan, and Xanax. Some had also ingested medications for treatment of attention-deficit hypersensitivity disorder (ADHD) and hypertension. In some cases, kids grab hold of treatments for addiction.
Children are not only susceptible to ingesting these medications, but they are also more than likely to get poisoned quickly even if they ingest only small amounts.
Doctors suggest to always monitor where they keep their drugs and ensure they are properly closed. They also laud the decisions of drug manufacturers to sell the abovementioned products in blister packs instead of bottles. This way, parents don't have to worry about tightening any lid.
It's also essential for parents to pay close attention to what their children are doing. If they suspect drug ingestion, they should bring the child to call poison control and bring the child to the nearest hospital even if he or she is not showing any symptom such as seizure and difficulty in breathing. This is because some side effects take time.
