Around 15 years ago, I had sinus surgery. I suffered chronic sinus infections and a deviated septum. CT scans revealed a cyst in one of my sinuses. Recovery from the surgery was long and painful, and my ENT knew it. I was sent home from the hospital with a prescription for a month’s worth of prescription pain relievers. I only ended up taking them for a couple of days after surgery, on the day the packing came out, and again when the splints came out. Otherwise, I just toughed it out. I forgot about the prescription. It sat in my medicine cabinet for years. When we moved, I packed it up with the contents of my bathroom and brought it to the new house. I’m not sure why I held onto it.
But a few years ago, I cleaned out my medicine cabinet. When I grabbed the bottle of pain pills, it was empty. I hadn’t touched it in years. The prescription had been pilfered over time. How much time, I’m not entirely sure. I am certain I know who is responsible. She struggled with addiction and I was aware of it. I was also completely unaware that she was taking my meds until I reached for the bottle. While she ended up getting the help she needed to fight her addiction, I realize this story could have had a much less pleasant ending. That is why I am so grateful for the Locking Prescription Vial, or LPV, by Safe Rx.
How the Safe Rx LPV Works
It’s essentially a combination lock for your medication. It’s genius, really. The opioid epidemic has reached an all-time high in this country. People of all ages, genders, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, races, and ages have found themselves at the mercy of opiate pain relievers. In fact, prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drugs among 12 and 13-year-olds. That’s a pretty sobering fact right there alone. Preteens and teens are finding easy access to highly sought-after drugs right in their parents’ medicine cabinets.
Safe Rx is Saving Lives
Safe Rx is working to eliminate pilfering as well as protecting prescription medications from falling into the wrong hands. The Locking Prescription Vial is tamper-resistant. It is designed to open without the combination with a specific tool in a very specific way. Tampering with the vial is very obvious. The LPV by Safe Rx has been shown to reduce the number of prescription overdose-related deaths by as many as 4 per day.
While 4 lives saved per day may not seem like a lot in light of how many are overdosing on prescription pills on a daily basis, it is a start. Safe Rx offers their LPVs in select pharmacies across the country. Ask your pharmacist if they are offered in your local pharmacy. If they aren’t it’s easy to request them!
I have 3 children in my home. One is a teenager, and I like to think that he would never be tempted to try taking prescription medications just for the experience. However, I am also not a fool. Teenagers notoriously make poor decisions. I trust my children implicitly. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t susceptible to mistakes, peer pressure, or even complicit in their friends’ mistakes. That’s why I will ALWAYS utilize LPVs for dangerous medication. The allure of a euphoric high is just too tempting for some, and I’m not willing to take any chances.
