Clean your cabinet on Medication Disposal Day

On May 9, the Androscogin Valley Horse Club 4-H youth group with the support of the Androscoggin Valley Hospital will be holding a “Clean Your Cabinets Day” for prescription and over the counter medication disposal. The event will be held May 9, from 9 a.m-1 p.m. Local residents are encouraged to check their cabinets and cupboards for old expired unused medications and bring them to AVH for proper disposal and information on how to properly dispose of medications in the future. ...On May 9, the Androscogin Valley Horse Club 4-H youth group with the support of the Androscoggin Valley Hospital will be holding a “Clean Your Cabinets Day” for prescription and over the counter medication disposal. The event will be held May 9, from 9 a.m-1 p.m. Local residents are encouraged to check their cabinets and cupboards for old expired unused medications and bring them to AVH for proper disposal and information on how to properly dispose of medications in the future. Prescription drug use in children is on the rise and this is an effort to raise awareness of the problem and provide the community with information regarding the safe disposal and handling of medications.

According to the Monitoring the Future Survey that was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which included 46,348 students from 386 public and private schools in the 8th, 10th and 12th grade. They noted the most commonly abused medications are Vicodin, Lortab and Fentanyl, which are often prescribed for chronic pain. Other commonly abuse medications include over the counter cold and cough medication. According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey, 15.4 percent of high school seniors had used these type of drugs for non medical purposes in the past month. People who abuse these drugs often get them for free from family members. They also steal them or buy them from friends and family. 1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription pain medication, 1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers, 1 in 10 has abused cough medication. Many teens think these drugs are safe because they have legitimate uses, but taking them without a prescription to get high or “self-medicate” can be as dangerous – and addictive – as using street narcotics and other illegal drugs.