Senior Beat
by Carol Higgins Taylor
Special to the Weekly
When the FDA announced recently that ibuprofen increased the risk of a heart attack, I decided to reduce my consumption of this old standby that eased my aging self, and switch to aspirin. After all, it was good enough for my grandparents. I figured I must have some, somewhere. I did. But it expired in 2012.
A friend of mine took a look around her mother’s medicine cabinet only to find some prescriptions that had expired years ago, as well. She promptly removed them all over her mom’s protests that “they’re still good.”
- They are not still good and in fact could be dangerous. Expiration dates are not a ploy just to
get you to buy something more often, as I heard one senior say.
No matter how often you clean out that medicine chest, there always seems to be a straggler that
hangs in there. Take a look around your own medicine chest. You may be surprised at how many
prescriptions are squirreled away taking up space. Be safe and dispose of all unnecessary medications.
The Bangor Police Department and the sheriff’s office both have drug drop boxes for medication disposal.
Another safety issue is the theft of drugs. There is no shortage of criminals eager to separate you
from your medications.
Think about when you go to the bank and withdraw money. We are conditioned to speak softly,
as it is potentially dangerous to request cash in a loud voice, lest some unsavory character with ill
intentions overhears the conversation and forcibly relieves us of our money in the parking lot.
Now think about when you go to the pharmacy. Do you ask the pharmacist for your prescription
by its name? If so, you may get a rude awakening in the parking lot.
Our local law enforcement officers warn the public to never disclose what medication is being picked up at the pharmacy window. Medications are as valuable as money, sometimes more so to addicts who will stop at nothing to get the drugs they want.
It’s unnecessary to reveal the brand or type of medication that you are picking up because the
pharmacist already has that information. All you need to do announce is your name.
Should you have questions about your medication, take a look around you first to make sure no
one is within ear shot before you ask them. Remember drugs are valuable and there is a real risk of them being stolen. Ask the pharmacist if there is a place where you could speak privately and if not, use the lowest voice possible.
And never chat with other people in line about “what you’re there for,” and compare conditions or treatments. Again, you never know who is listening and could, at that moment, be making a plan to follow you right out the door. And have the pharmacist put your prescriptions in a regular bag and not a pharmacy bag which is like a sign saying, “I am carrying medications.”
Now my intent is not to make you paranoid, I just want to make you more aware of your surroundings, especially if you have prescription drugs with you.
I realize this is a sad commentary on the world we live in and the necessity of being on guard may
be depressing, but the most important thing is to be safe.
So watch your purse, your bank account, credit card and social security numbers, keep your
medications close to the vest and don’t talk to telemarketers. Don’t fear that you are being rude. Just as you instructed your children not to talk to strangers, it is time to take your own advice. Be careful of who is listening.
It is always better to be safe than sorry so rejoice in the fact that you may have outsmarted a thug.
Stand up and be counted as a savvy senior not as a victim.
Carol Higgins Taylor is an advocate for seniors and owns Bryant Street Public Relations in Bangor. Email her at seniorbeat@gmail.com.