My son is leaving for freshman year in a few weeks. I’m looking for suggestions about how to keep his prescription drugs safe in his dorm room. I’ve researched lock boxes/safes online and I’m looking for recommendations from parents and/or students that have dealt with this issue. Thanks so much for your help!
A previous thread which addresses some of the questions:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1819278-prescription-and-otc-drugs-in-dorm.html
My school is pretty lax and has an honor code, so I admit I’m a bit on the careless side in this regard, but yes, a lock box should work just fine.
A few other questions…
1.) Does he have one of those boxes with a slot for every day of the week? If so, he may be able to leave that out and hide the bottles themselves in a lock box until Saturday.
2.) Does he have more than one medication? Naturally the more he has the more difficult it will be.
3.) Is he going to have a roommate? Are you concerned about how to explain the situation to him?
After D had surgery and went back to school with all kinds of drugs, including oxy and valium, she did exactly what philpsych suggested - she had a weekly pill holder she would fill on Sunday and kept the bottles locked and out of sight. That way no one even really knew she had these types of medications in her room.
S used a weekly pill dispenser that he kept with his toiletries (brush teeth, take meds), and then kept the remaining meds in a lock box which stayed in his locked footlocker. This was suggested to us by the health center as a way to make it easier for S to remember to take meds daily without keeping large quantities of meds exposed. It was also very easy for him to just throw the dispenser in his backpack if he was going away overnight.
Wow, thanks for starting this thread. I hadn’t even thought of this issue. I’ll make sure my daughter keeps her meds locked up.
Both of my kids kept their medications (including adderall for one of them) in a dresser drawer and it was never an issue. I think locking it up could bring attention to something that would likely otherwise not be noticed.
My daughter uses a lockbox, but the most important thing she does is not to tell people she has medication in her room. I cannot stress this enough. The fewer the people who know, the safer your meds will be.
I sent a lockbox last year, her freshman year. She was in a dorm with a common room, and each girl had her own bedroom. I just asked her how she handled it. She did fill a weekly pillbox and kept the rest of the 90 day supply locked. She has 5 scripts, one of this is Adderall. I also second, and third, not telling people about medication, especially Adderall or Ritalin type drugs.
Some schools have lockable drawers/boxes in the dorm rooms that can be used for this purpose. Not telling folks you have them would be the very first line of defense for keeping them safe. A lockbox/mini safe would certainly be a purchase I would make.
Wow. I didn’t think of locking up my antidepressant. Do you think all medicine should be locked up or just the Adderall/Ritlan types? Personally I think having it locked and having to worry about unlocking it daily would stress me out.
@readingclaygirl - I think SSRIs, stimulants, and addictive painkillers should probably be locked up. JMHO, though.
I actually purchased a school style locker with a padlock for my daughter to keep her laptop and other valuables in. There are a number of companies who sell single lockers and taller twin units, with 2 separate compartments that can have separate locks. A bike lock can be used to attach it to a bed frame, etc. I know it may seem extreme, but the lock boxes we found just seemed extremely flimsy. The lockers are not very wide so they will fit into a typical dorm room without taking up a lot of space. The shorter one can double as a side table.
My daughter had her bed lofted and had a 72 inch tall double unit next to her bed with a lamp on it. She and her roommate each used a compartment with their own padlocks. They have the added advantage of being a great place to stick magnets,display photos, artwork etc. There were a number of companies I found on line, and ordered it from one not too distant from our home to keep the shipping cost down. I think it was around $175 for a double unit including shipping. It required some assembly, but only took about 30 minutes to put together. Pre-assembled ones are also available at additional cost.
It was several years ago, so I don’t remember where I found it online, but I bought my granddaughter a safe that was tall and thin, and fit in her closet/locker. It worked with a credit card, like some safes in hotel rooms.
@readingclaygirl -You don’t have to unlock daily. Use a weekly pill dispenser that you can keep with your toiletries or somewhere else where you will remember to take your meds. The remaining supply is what should be locked up. You will only need to open it once a week to refill, and I would suggest when roommates are not around. This way you never have more than one week’s worth unlocked. I agree with all others who said do not tell anyone you have medication in the room.
I just kept them in a drawer and no one knew where they were and I’m sure only a few very people knew what I took. Didn’t lock it. It was never an issue. Just put them somewhere that no one sees them. If someone is going through your drawers, you have much bigger issues than just losing your pills.
If it’s medicine that has to be taken with meals, in response to symptoms, or at times when you’re not likely to be in the dorm, it’s probably better off in your backpack than your dresser.
And you have problems if someone is going through your backpack, too.
I’ve never even thought to lock up my medicine, as others have said if someone is rummaging through your stuff it’s a much bigger issue. I had a few pain meds (hydrocodone was a common one for me), steroids, birth control and Zoloft and never had an issue. Most of the time they were left in a basket on my dresser.
But if you choose to do so, it’s probably easier to get something small and discreet. Maybe like a jewelry box with a lock
Locking up all but the current week’s supply is a really good idea. If the medication is pilfered you will probably not ber allowed to get more. Someone taking even a few pills could cause a patient to run short.
(I am especially vigilant about this because a caregiver for my mom pilfered oxycontin, and then took the whole bottle…leaving my mom in acute pain with nothing to relive it when we figured this out late one evening. We never thought this aide would do this. I’m sure that’s what people always say. When caught, she admitted that she’d been taking 1-2 every so often for a while. We only realized it when the entire bottle was missing, but the pilfering had been going on for more than a month by her own admission.)
Find out about lockable drawers in the dorm. I recall son’s school listed sizes- I believe students needed to provide a lock. We also had a small lockable safe he kept in it.There should be some way to lock any small valuables- cash and a passport come to mind. The above warnings seem good- keeping a weekly supply out and locking up the rest, not telling people about your meds et al. Just because 99% of the time it won’t matter you do not want to be a victim of theft. students need to lock up their laptops and other electronics as well. Never count on roommates keeping the room locked- just going down the hall/to the bathroom… is enough time for someone to steal things. Usually won’t happen but not worth the risk.