Medicine Cabinet Meets Poison Control Center

"Is she supposed to be eating that?"
I glanced over at my two year old. There was aluminum sticking out of the side of her mouth and my purse had been dumped out. Sure that she had just found a piece of candy, I casually got up from my meeting in the kitchen and went to investigate.
"Pixie, what are you eating?"
"Yum, Mommy! I found these tiny little candies in your purse!"
It was my birth control pills. She had worked her way through the pink placebo row and was just getting started on the tiny white pills. I looked back at the woman I was meeting with who was staring in shock and gave a nervous laugh. "Heh heh... you can never start too early..."

I keep all the medicine locked up in a medicine cabinet. I keep the food out of reach. I keep the cabinet with the cleaning chemicals locked. But my daughter will find ways to poison herself one way or another. A few months ago I had left three of my Zoloft pills next to the bathroom sink while getting ready for church. I stepped away briefly to answer the phone and when I came back, my daughter had gobbled them up. I ran to the phone and called Poison Control Center, sure that Pixie would die within the hour.

"Hello? HELLO? My daughter has just eaten my medication!"
"What did your daughter eat, ma'am?" asked the cool operator.
"Zoloft, my postpartum depression pills! What should I do? Do I need to call 911? Should I flush her out with liquids? What's going to happen to her?"
"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you," he replied lazily. "She'll probably just be in a really good mood today."

And she was. Maybe I should leave my pills out more often. There are worse things than a sterile, happy toddler. Which reminds me, maybe I should get a prescription for some sleeping pills...

Comments

That is too hysterical. Hmm, maybe once mine starts on solids....
Anonymous said…
The last part of your story honestly made my stomach lurch. Anti-depressants are not "happy pills" nor are they to be taken lightly. I'm glad you're daughter wasn't old enough to remember or recognize the possible emotional and even phsyical effects it may have had on her. It's lack of knowledge like that (the operator's attitude) that some doctors carrry that can lead to serious consequences when dealing with anti-depressants.

Speaking from experience here.

I don't take any doctor at his/her word anymore.
Alissa said…
ah yes. my daughter ate most of a pack of my bcps once... the mini pill, so no iron, but i freaked.

strangely, did you know it will do nothing to them?
Mary said…
"There are worse things than a sterile, happy toddler."

Hahaha! That's my favorite line ever! You crack me up!
Bek said…
As a mother that once had to call poison control three times in ONE day... I empathize... the really bad stuff is Tylenol. Almost anything else is fixable (except paint....)
Melissa Miller said…
I really, really, really, really like Zoloft!
Suzie Petunia said…
Remember when my 3-year-old overdosed on cough medicine and started seeing circus animals? Once the ER doctor told us he was going to be fine we just sat back and enjoyed the crazy-on-drugs-toddler show.
TheOneTrueSue said…
Hee hee

I live in fear that my kids will swallow something bad. I once thought my son had swallowed a codeine 3 and I forced him to throw up by making him gag (not as bad as it sounds, the kid has a HUGE gag reflex and can throw up practically on cue). Then I found the pill on the counter.

Oops.
kashurst said…
The comments are almost as funny as the post!
Heather said…
My kids are more prone to eat wild things, like plants and berries from the woods. Settlers used to do it. They also had a life expectancy of 30 years.

http://3boysundermyroof.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
My mom delights in recounting all of the poisonous things that I ate as a baby: poisonous leaves, an entire bottle of Flintstone vitamins with iron, bleach... Didn't seem to do my any lasting harm, and seeing as I'm the only member of my family that is over 6', maybe those Flintstones did some good...
Anonymous said…
Wow, Summer you really need to pop a few "happy pills" and lighten up a little. Sometimes people are JUST JOKING.

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