A whole bottle full of just about any medicine can kill a small child. But did you know that some commonly prescribed medications are so potent that just one or two pills (or a teaspoon or two if it's a liquid) can have the same deadly consequences?
The majority of accidental poisonings occur in children under 6 years of age. There are more than 1 million toxic exposures each year in children younger than 20 months, and, tragically, some of these result in death.
Surprisingly many of the pills that are potent enough to kill your toddler with only one or two doses are not just pills that grandma might carry in her purse….. but medicines you or another one of your children may be taking. If any of the following medicines are in your home please take precautions to lock them up securely.
Found in iron supplements (pills and liquids) and multivitamins with iron, including prenatal vitamins; used to treat anemia in adults and children. Iron is one of the most common causes of injury from poisoning in young children.
Iron can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, shock, seizures and coma.
All are used to either prevent and/or treat malaria. Quinidine is also used for certain kinds of heart problems. Hydroxychloroquine (plaquenil) is used to treat arthritis and lupus, too.
These medicines can cause coma, seizures, abnormal heart rates and shock.
Clonidine has also been used increasingly to treat children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and in the past several years emergency departments have seen a rise in children taking their older siblings’ clonidine.
These medicines can cause coma, low blood pressure and slow heart rate.
This is a class of medicines used for type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes. They include Glyburide, Tolbutamide, (brand names: Micronase, Diabinese, Orinase and Glucotrol).
The sulfonylureas can cause low blood sugar and coma.
Used to treat depression, this class of drugs includes Tofranil, Desipramine and Amytriptyline (brand names: Pamelor and Elavil).
They can cause coma, seizures and abnormal heartbeats.
It’s not a pill but a liquid that’s used topically to treat scabies and head lice (brand name: Kwell). It's not meant to be taken internally (swallowed) by anyone.
Just a teaspoon or two may lead to seizures.
This is an antidiarrhea medicine that travelers have used in the past. You may know it better by its brand name, Lomotil.
It can produce respiratory depression and coma.
This is a class of heart medicines designed to slow the heart rate. They include propranolol, carvedilol, atenolol, labetalol, nadolol, and metoprolol tartrate. Brand names include Inderal, Coreg, Tenormin, Normodyne, Trandate, Corgard and Lopressor.
These medicines can cause very low blood pressure and slow heartbeats in kids.
Once widely used to treat asthma it is now most often used for premature babies to help stimulate their breathing.
It can cause seizures and abnormal heartbeats.
These are medications used for heart disease. This group includes verapamil, diltiazem, nifedipine, nicardipine, felodipine, isradipine, amlodipine, nisoldipine and bepridil. Common trade names include: Procardia, Veralin, Calan, Isoptin, Cardizem, Plendil, Dilacor, Sular, Norvasc, Dynacirc, Adalat and Vascor.
They can cause low blood pressure and slow heartbeats.
Products containing camphor include camphorated oil, Ben-Gay Children's Rub and Vicks VapoRub. Products containing camphor are meant for topical (skin) use only.
When ingested they can cause seizures.
This is a liquid that contains a form of aspirin. It may be found in liniments (such as Ben-Gay) and is meant for topical use only.
Ingesting just one teaspoon can be life threatening for a toddler.
These products (for example, Visine, Afrin) contain a medication that’s related to Clonidine and can cause the same problems if ingested.
Used as a teething medicine (Orajel, Anbesol) or in anti-itch medicines (Vagisil).
One teaspoon can affect the blood's ability to carry oxygen making your child turn blue.
Note: While knowing the following list of very dangerous "one-pill killers" is critical, many medicines that a toddler swallows can cause severe adverse reactions and long term problems even though they are not life threatening.. For this very reason we emphasize that it is important that all medicines are safely secured behind a latched cabinet or inside a specially designed medicine safe.
There is one toll-free poison control number (1-800-222-1222) for the whole nation. Post this number near each telephone in your house and on your refrigerator.
If you have questions about childproofing your Home or Business, or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at (757) 200-7233 or Info@ChildSafetyHouseCalls.com.
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Child Safety House Calls is led by two emergency room pediatricians and specializes in evaluating and selling through their online child safety store child proofing and child safety products such as child safety gates, child proof locks, child proof door locks, child proof gates, child proof door knobs, child proof latches, child proof drawers, child proof cabinets, baby gates, baby safety items, bathroom safety items, tub safety items and more. They provide information to parents nationwide on childproofing your home, child safety in the home, and the best child proof products. In Hampton Roads, Virginia, their team conducts child safety house calls to parents in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and Williamsburg.
