A new study reports that accidental poisoning of children by prescription drugs has increased significantly over the years, according to news sources.
A study published in The Journal of Pediatrics showed that the number of accidental drug poisoning among American youngsters has gone up 22 percent from 2001 to 2008. The study looked at 454,000 children under the age of 5, and found that almost all the cases involved the child obtaining the drug on his or her own. Five percent were related to dosage errors.
Forty-three percent of those children that sought out emergency room care landed in the intensive care unit.
The rise of accident drug poisonings was attributed to a more heavily medicated population and extended-release dosages of drugs that are now available. While convenient for adults who only have to take one pill a day, if a child get a hold of the drugs the effects can be that much more powerful.
As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I recommend keeping your medications far out of a child’s reach. As a product liability lawyer, I hope that drug companies will also take measures to create more tamper resistant packaging.