Monitoring Your Medicines

It’s late at night, and someone in your house is coming down with a cold. They’ve started coughing, so you reach for what is already in your medicine cabinet. Sound familiar? That is exactly why OTC cough medicines are available – to provide convenient relief when symptoms strike unexpectedly. When used as directed, these medicines are safe and effective.  Even so, it’s a good idea to know what is in the bottle. Some OTC cough, cold, and […]

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications like cold and cough medicines are designed to make you feel better when you’re sick, but like prescription medication, they can also have negative implications on your health if they are used improperly. How to Dispose of OTC Medications If you discover that your teen is abusing OTC medications, your first instinct […]

It’s hard to find a family that hasn’t been impacted by substance abuse in some way. And even though we know the prevalence of teenage substance use is high, denial is often stronger. “Not my teen,” we think. Or we minimize it: “Kids experiment. What’s a little beer or cough syrup?” The problem is many […]

As our teens get ready to head back to school, it’s important that we, as parents, prepare for what can happen when our teens are suddenly stressed out from schoolwork and overwhelmed by peer pressure. In order to find temporary relief from these stressors, our teens might consider experimenting in dangerous activities, such as drugs, […]