Prescription drugs are the most commonly misused substances by teens after marijuana and alcohol, and two-thirds of teens who have misused pain relievers said they got them from family and friends.

Published: December 9, 2019

Would you notice if you were missing any of those prescription pain relievers leftover from your surgery last summer? Do you even know how many pills are in those bottles in the back of your bathroom cabinet?

Prescription drugs are the most commonly misused substances by teens after marijuana and alcohol, and two-thirds of teens who have misused pain relievers said they got them from family and friends.

Misusing prescription drugs can lead to addiction and side effects, including overdose.

Safe disposal of opioids and other drugs

Take advantage of a drug disposal location near you. There are many drop boxes throughout Kentucky that all both prescription and over-the-counter disposal. Call the Kentucky Opioid Assistance & Resource Hotline at (800) 854-6813 and someone will help you find the closest safe disposal location.

Safe storage of opioids and other drugs

Safely storing medications like opioids and disposing of old drugs reduce the easy access to these dangerous substances.

Child resistant caps are not enough, especially to deter a teenager. And, if you’re in a hurry, you could forget to tighten the cap.

The best protection is a medicine cabinet that locks. You could put a padlock on your existing cabinet or buy a small lockbox.

Small lockboxes typically cost about $20 and allow other family members access to the rest of the medicine cabinet.