Poison control centers are increasingly dealing with young children who have accidentally ingested powerful painkillers.
It’s a phenomenon associated with adult abuse of opiate-based prescription drugs, an emerging public health issue that not only confronts law enforcement and substance abuse professionals statewide but those who deal with poisoning emergencies. Toddlers also find themselves ingesting methadone and Suboxone, powerful drugs used in treating opiate dependence.
“Admission of toddlers for Suboxone poisoning is not infrequent, maybe a couple a month,” said Dr. George Payne, who staffs the pediatric intensive care unit at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. “Toddlers are prone to crawling around and putting things in their mouths, and when they ingest opiate-based drugs or substances like Suboxone, they present here in an altered mental status, depressed and difficult to arouse. They have very sluggish breathing and are just not responsive. A single tablet of Suboxone can be very toxic to a toddler.”
Between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, the Northern New England Poison Control Center fielded 14,266 hotline calls from Maine residents concerning “human exposures” to poisons. Of those calls, more than 42 percent, or nearly 6,000, involved children under age 6, and 30 percent involved children under age 2. Nationally, an estimated 1.2 million children under age 6 are poisoned each year.
While the vast majority of incidents are still caused by dosing mistakes or accidental ingestion of medicines or miscellaneous products such as household cleaners, personal care products, topicals and even toys, an increasing number of calls involve opioid-related poisonings.
In 2006, the Poison Control Center fielded 50 calls from Maine associated with opioid-related poisonings involving children. By 2009, that number jumped to 80. It continues to climb, with Washington County having the greatest increase in poisonings associated with accidental ingestion of Vicodin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone and codeine.
Poison control experts say opiates trigger a more serious response in young children than other classes of medications they might accidentally ingest. Symptoms of opioid poisoning include sleepiness, trouble breathing, vomiting, choking and coma.
Payne said children poisoned by opiate-based drugs are monitored while the long-lasting drug takes its course. “They will be put in the ICU, and the most serious cases may be intubated and put on a respirator,” he said. “It’s an 18- to 24-hour hospital stay. If the poisoning was severe, there’s the risk that they were not breathing for a time, and there are all sorts of outcomes that low oxygen can involve.”
Another common source of accidental poisoning in children is nicotine from cigarettes, cigarette butts and chewing tobacco. The American Association of Poison Control Centers received nearly 8,000 reports in 2007 of potentially toxic exposure to tobacco products by children younger than age 6.
The association warns that severe nicotine poisoning in children can trigger depressed respiration, heartbeat irregularities and convulsions.
Both regionally and nationally, poison control centers also have been fielding calls about children ingesting the strong detergent found in laundry “pods,” a new packaging for laundry soap that, to a child, may look like candy.
Between March 1 and May 31 of this year, the Northern New England Poison Control Center had 15 calls related to children biting into the capsules, including eight calls from Maine. Of those, only one case required medical care, only because the child had rubbed the detergent into the eyes, causing severe irritation.
Anyone who suspects a poisoning has occurred should call the Northern New England Poison Center at 800-222-1222. More information also is available at the center’s website at http://www.nnepc.org/.
At what point will people realize the the war on drugs, the prohibition, is causing more problems than the drugs themselves. The problem has grown exponentially since the war began 40 years ago.. We are overdue to revamp social thinking about criminalization of drugs. It is a medical issue not a police issue and we need to realize and act on this reality.
I understand what you’re saying but it becomes a police issue when nitwits (on bath salts for example) become a danger to others (like their kids).
I don’t see legalizing drugs as a complete answer to fixing the problem – one of the reasons that the ERs aren’t as full of people in full-blown psychosis of bath salts usage is because they made the major component of the drug illegal. Yes, it’ll still come up from the out-of-state pipeline, but I can most definitely see certain addicts I have the misfortune to know taking full advantage of legalizing drugs and causing more problems that benefits.
I do hear you though. People will always find new ways to get high.
Legalize it all.
To anyone 21 or older.
Make the punishment for supplying drugs including alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 so severe that even a complete imbicile will stop and think before they share their drugs with someone not of age. I recommend 30 years in prison with no parole or time off for good behavior.
The majority of addicts are turned on to drugs in elementary to early HS years. Everyone in the business knows that turning them on early is the easiest way to addict them. It is a known fact that the human brain is not fully developed till you are 21 or a little older. Once addicted you are an addict for life. You may abstain and fight it, but you are still addicted.
If we can keep our children clean and sober until their brains are fully developed and they are capable of making more informed decisions about what they ingest. The chances of them becomming addicts is greatly reduced.
If someone over 21 wishes to partake or experiment with any drug, they should be given all the known information available regarding the side effects and potential dangers of whatever drug they chose. Sign a release form stating that they or their family take full responsibility for their actions and accept the cost if they require hospitalization.
The money tap would be turned off to the drug cartels and drug gangs. The money now spent on the futile war on drugs could be redirected toward other much needed programs. The prisons would have their population cut in half or better. Thus vastly reducing the cost of incarcerating all these drug related criminals. Freeing up even more money for much needed programs. Maybe even pay for the rehabilitation of those who are severely addicted today.
Much of the money needed could come from the sale of these drugs at dispensaries or state run drug stores. With the added benefit of fewer people being poisoned by impure and untested street drugs.
This off the top of my head, I’m sure that others could come up with more ideas.
How do you get prescription drugs in the first place???
Got a tooth ache or just had one pulled? Dentist can give you a prescription. Have an operation? When you leave the hospital they will write you a scrip. Mommy or daddy are using? Children see this and want to try it. There are hundreds of ways to get prescription drugs.
dont see how its on the rise,i got legitimate pain and my doctors wont give me crap.pisses me off,im disabled i got to live this way cause of it.buul
A distinction needs to be made between an increase in use and abuse.
An increase in the number of legitimate adult prescriptions does not necessarily mean abuse,
although the possible exposure to children is likely similar – if one has kids and it’s not a practice to child-proof cabinets.
I think BDN needs to be especially careful what’s written on the touchy issues, like this one.
You’re not Huffpo!
the crap was legal since 1900,s then we got dumb lawmakers.people die its called population control,legalize again
My question is at what point are we going to realize that these drugs were originally reserved for the pain of DEATH or serious injury, not like they’re marketed for now such as daily use as chronic back pain. If you advertise it, they will come.
Now, before someone jumps on the “You’ll never know what chronic pain is blah, blah, blah” bandwagon, I had major back surgery to repair blown disks, several broken hand bones over the years, and a serious compound fracture of the ulna and radius (to the point where the bones were sticking out and it was casted for over 6 months). Yup. I know all about pain. I manage it daily sans narcotics. Yes it can be done.
Physical therapy (a few sessions to show how it is done properly) contined incorporation of PT in daily exercise and many other NONnarcotic pain relievers are available. Not everyone needs oxycontin IMHO (and I’ll add that doctors should not have to be worried about being sued for lack of pain control either). We are our own worst enemies sometimes.
At some point in my life it’s quite possible that I’ll be forced to go on narcotic pain medication, but at least by that point I won’t be so tolerant of it that I’m requiring mass doses to keep a therapeutic level.
Bingo. WAY too many doctors giving out these prescriptions for a stubbed toe.
Also if you have old medication in the house throw it out!
Many doctors won’t even prescribe these, even to their patients with serious pain.
So the way it is now is the people who don’t NEED them can get them and those with real pain to manage are being told no.
At what point do we try a completely different approach to managing our substance abuse problems?
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LOL, you are assuming that addicts are responsible enough to child proof their home.
Discovery house gives cute little lock boxes to those clients who have gained their trust, to take six days dosages home with them. These lock boxes look like something you would buy in a dollar store. It would take less than 5 minutes for a 5 year old to open one.
Of course an addict could put their stash in a safe box with the key on a chain around their neck.
That is if they are willing to spend the extra money.
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dont forget the effect of alcohol and
pot, that effects your toddlers chemistry
..hows that special ed going for ya kid?
Should have gone six columns across Page One.
Babies victimized by druggies. The tragic victims of a drugged out society.
A great story that has been overlooked far too long. Do druggies understand the dangers they subject their children to? Of course not. How could they? They’re spaced out so far between their weekly Methadone Clinic visit, a jab in the arm, a puff of Pot, or, a pill popper party. All leading to the next pregnancy and another unfortunate born to endure the drug culture of its parents.
Sad. Sickening.