The Poison Post

 National Capital Poison Center                                                                              October 2012 Edition

taking antibiotics Antibiotic Overdoses     

Your child grabs her liquid antibiotic and takes a swig - or a nice long drink.  Maybe she likes the sweet taste.  It happens all the time.  While you should call the Poison Center if this happens, it's usually the misuse of antibiotics that is a problem, not a one-time overdoseRead the article to find out why.

spice "Spice" and "Bath Salts":  Dangerous and Illegal 

The "spice" isn't for food and the "bath salts" aren't for bathing.  Instead, these are names for two types of dangerous and illegal drugs of abuse.  They showed up a few years ago.  Since then, reports of medical problems have increased enormously. "Spice", K2, and fake weed are just some of...

child holding coin Kids Will Swallow Anything        

Toothpicks. Twist-ties. Golf ball covers. Pins. Jewelry. Toys. Plastic bits. Hardware. Medical equipment. Batteries, of course. And coins - lots of coins.  Children who swallow non-food items sometimes need surgery to remove them. In a recent study, coins made up more than 80 percent of swallowed foreign...

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online pharmOnline Pharmacies:  Avoid the Frauds      

Only 3 percent of online pharmacies meet federal and state laws. How can you tell if an online pharmacy is legal and safe or if it's a fraud? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers some tips for selecting a legitimate online pharmacy.  Only use sites that require you to provide...

homeopathic remedies Alternative Medicines for Colds:  Do They Help?    

It's called the "common cold" because just about everyone gets colds.  Most of us suffer through several a year.  So far, there is no good way to prevent colds.  And, so far, there's no good way to treat them either. Symptoms of the common cold range from a slightly stuffy nose, cough, and tiredness to...  

magnetsPoisonous Attraction:  The Danger of Magnets 

Were you fascinated by magnets as a child? That invisible, magical force between them that either slapped them together or never let them meet, no matter how hard you tried? You could play with them for hours, twirling them in your hands, taking them apart and putting them together again...

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