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Monthly NewsNote
August 2004
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POINTERS FOR HANDLING MEDICATION AT COLLEGE
Going to college on a controlled medication is a different experience from
using it at home. This is especially true for freshmen. Over the years I have
developed several ideas that may help with the transition. These ideas can be
found throughout other writings available on this site, but I thought it would
be helpful if I pulled several of them together.
ABOUT THE MEDICATION
Review the medication with your prescribing physician before leaving for school.
Most students use a long acting preparation in high school, but might do better
with a short acting form in college. This depends on class schedule, study hours,
partying time and sleep needs. The best way to use medication is not always
clear before school starts, and it is often a good idea to review medications
once new routines are established, usually at Thanksgiving time.
HANDLING THE MEDICATION
Be careful and don’t be too casual with a controlled medication. Everyone
is very comfortable leaving medication on the counter at home. If you do that
in college, it will disappear.
I suggest you put the medication in a bureau drawer, and keep it out of sight.
You will probably need to carry a few pills in your backpack for use during
the day. Keep them in an unmarked bottle in a side pocket.
Don’t share your pills with anyone. You may think you’re being
a nice guy, but you could be responsible for serious problems.
REFILLS
For most, insurance coverage limits the number of pills to a 30 day supply.
Therefore, students need to get a refill monthly. This can be harder than it
seems.
The person with ADD is not always well organized, and remembering to call home
is not easy. I suggest:
1. Take 100 pills and divide them into two bottles, one with 70 and one with
30.
2. When the big bottle is empty, call home
3. Before leaving for school, get an extra 25 pills to leave home in cases of
a crisis.
Doing these things will make it more likely that the student will always have
the needed medication. That’s very important, especially at exam time.
FILLING THE PRESCRIPTION
Controlled drug prescriptions written in Connecticut can be filled in some
states and not others. NY and CA are definitely no. MA, FL, PA, VA are yes.
I don’t know about the others at this time.
I suggest that for at least the first semester the student call home and have
Mom get and fill the prescription and FedEx the medication. Then there is just
one less thing for the student to worry about.
As time goes on, the student may want to take over the responsibility. This
would mean that they will have a car or nearby pharmacy. They can then call
the doctor and have the prescription mailed directly to them. This takes Mom
out of the loop, which may make it easier for everyone. But these are things
to work out as time goes on.
SUMMARY
The use of medication at college is extremely important and can make the difference
between success and failure. Taking the right medication and having the necessary
supply is obviously very basic to success. Some ideas have been discussed here.
If you have other thoughts or experience that you would like to share, please
drop me a note.
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