‘Extremely worrying’ spike in kids swallowing others’ medicines

Press/Media: Expert Comment

Description

In a poignant reminder for GPs, a new US study found double the amount of children are having seizures after ingesting prescription medications or illicit drugs.

Subject

accidental poisoning

general practice

Period21 Oct 2024

Media contributions

1

Media contributions

  • Title‘Extremely worrying’ spike in kids swallowing others’ medicines
    Degree of recognitionNational
    Media name/outletNewsGP
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryAustralia
    Date21/10/24
    DescriptionIn a poignant reminder for GPs, a new US study found double the amount of children are having seizures after ingesting prescription medications or illicit drugs....
    Professor Mark Morgan, Chair of RACGP Expert Committee – Quality Care, told newsGP the research highlights the importance of GPs reminding patients to keep their medicines safely out of reach of children.

    ‘It is unclear why there has been an increase in children presenting after a seizure associated with swallowing medication,’ he said.

    ‘For parents of young children there is a need to be aware that visitors to the house might bring medicines and that these need to be kept in a safe location too.

    ‘If a parent or carer suspects a child might have taken medicines there is a need to take action and not wait for the child to become unwell.’...
    Professor Morgan said there is also an important role for pharmacists to provide advice about safe storage and disposal as part of dispensing.

    ‘Polypharmacy and prescriptions for psychoactive medications in adults is very common, so perhaps it is the increased amount of medicines in the home that is to blame,’ he said.
    Producer/AuthorManisha Fernando
    URLhttps://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/extremely-worrying-spike-in-kids-swallowing-others?utm_source=racgpnewsgpnewsletter&utm_campaign=newsgpedm&utm_medium=email
    PersonsMark Morgan