Education and Prevention for Kids on Medications

• Transcript

  Last Updated: November 3, 2023

  SUPE: Hey guys! I’m SUPE, the gentle dragon. You probably have seen people like parents and friends taking medication. Did you know that it can save lives? But, it can also make someone very sick and even worse. I will leave you with Dave and Cathy and you’ll learn everything about it. [coughs]

  Dave: Hello everyone, my name is Dave. Today, I want to talk to you about medication and pills that you see at home or anywhere. Cathy, do you know what the purpose of medication is and what pills are all about?

  Cathy: Well, sometimes Mom and Dad have a pill in the morning at breakfast. They say it’s their vitamin C or something like that. I don’t know what you mean by that though…

  Dave: Hey, that’s great Cathy. You’ve almost got it, let me explain. Medications are for someone that has something wrong with their body that does not feel normal or has a pain or a feeling, that they have a hard time dealing with. Then, if it were us, Mom or Dad would probably take us to the doctors to see what they think. The doc might give us pills to take or special juices to drink. Does that make sense so far?

  Cathy: Yeah, kinda of. I just didn’t know that name medliacation or whatever.

  Dave: [laughs] Cathy, its medication, not medliacation! So now, we know what pills are and what medication is. Okay?

  Cathy: Yeah, I get it now. So cool! I learned a new word too!

  Dave: You certainly will impress Mom and Dad! So, let me give you an example of medication. My dad has a problem when he eats sugar. His body is supposed to produce something called insulin. But it does not. So, he takes medication that helps his body to produce it. So, when he does that, he feels better and can have a normal life.

  Cathy: Oh, is that why my mom takes it every morning?

  Dave: Exactly, spot on Cathy.

  Cathy: Well, what would happen if someone took some medication but they don’t need it? And, I mean if you have a lot more, then it can make you better much quicker. Right?

  Dave: Woah! Everyone listen up and listen good. This could be very dangerous. You see, the point of a med is to treat a disease, injury or pain. So, if you don’t need it, never, ever, ever take it. It can make you real sick.

  Cathy: Hey Mr. Mitch, I kinda get it, but I’m still not sure…

  Dave: Don’t worry Cathy. Let me show you an example drawing which takes the example earlier that I told you about my dad. See here. When you eat sugar, there’s a substance called insulin that gets triggered in your body. It controls the concentration of sugar in your body. So, if you eat more, it triggers even more. If you eat less, then it sends less insulin into your body. The part of my dad’s body that sends insulin is not working properly so he must take a medication that helps him control his sugar levels, so he gets exactly the correct level to keep him well. So, if your body is normally sending insulin and you take a medication, it will make an imbalance, like an overload, in your body and make it even worse. That will overwhelm your body system, and it can make you have:

  • Concentration problems, you can’t think straight. I’m like that most of the time. [laughs]
  • Seizures. Can’t move or speak properly.
  • Unconsciousness, like I feel faint and maybe even fall to the ground.
  • And even worse.

  Cathy: Gee, I didn’t know that. Sounds really bad.

  Dave: Cathy, don’t worry. This is only an example of my dad’s medication, but it is true for all medication.

  Cathy: Sure, I get that. I even heard that it is even worse for children. Right?

  Dave: Yes, let me show you. This is your mom and this is you. With some medications, you might only need 2 to 3 times less of it than your mom, ’cause your body is a lot smaller. So, imagine if on top of it you don’t need it like the example we just saw.

  Cathy: Wow! That would be gross, horrible, awrrr…

  Dave: Exactly. Here’s another thing. Let’s say one of your friends needs to take a medication. Never ask them to give you one as well, and if they offer you one, 100% do not take it and go and tell your teacher or talk to your parents about it. It can prevent someone else taking them and getting into harm. Well, that’s it guys. Thank you so much for listening to me. You know it’s real important. So, what have we learned? Repeat after me. “I do not take medication unless my name is on the bottle.”

  Cathy: I do not take medication unless my name is on the bottle.

  Dave: Come on! You can do better than that! Let’s make some real noise! “I do not take medication unless my name is on the bottle.” I’m so proud of you guys! Give everyone a big hug!

  SUPE: Hey guys! I am back! Did you learn something? Cool! Don’t forget to complete the test below. You’re on your way to becoming SUPErstars! [Laughs]

  Sources: https://kids.wordsmyth.net/we/?level=2&rid=25631
  https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/insulin-overdose#accidental-od

Test Your Knowledge on Medications

• | What is the purpose of medication?
    Get Answer Here — 0:42  
• | What happens if you take medication and you don’t need it?
    Get Answer Here — 2:33  
• | Why should Cathy never take her mom’s medication?
    Get Answer Here — 4:24  
• | What do you do if someone offers you a pill that is not yours?
    Get Answer Here — 4:47  
• | Do you take medication if your name is not on the bottle?
    Get Answer Here — 5:15

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