Candy game from California Poison Control System. For further insight into how similar they can look, try the Look-A-Like Quiz created by the Missouri Poison Center and the Pills vs. It can be more difficult than you think to tell medication and poison apart from candy. Other forms of rodent killer can have a grainy texture and look similar to sour candy powders like Pop Rocks. Rat Poison: Rat poison can come in a bright blue color and have a similar appearance to the popular candy Nerds. Children may confuse them for candies like Good N’ Plenty. Liquid-filled capsules: Some liquid-filled capsules, such as ibuprofen and the OTC sleep aid ZzzQuil, are oblong and come in various colors. Nasal decongestants: Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and phenylephrine (Sudafed PE) both come in bright red colors and often have a similar outer coating to chocolate candies like M&M’s. The oblong shape of many capsule medications can be similar enough to candies like Mike and Ikes and jelly beans.Ĭhewable and dissolvable medications: There are many chewable or dissolvable medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Alka Seltzer, that share similar shapes and colors with disc-shaped candies and mints, such as Smarties, Altoids, and Breath Savers.Ĭhocolate laxatives: Ex-Lax chocolate-flavored chews and their generics look and taste like chocolate, so children may accidentally eat the laxatives in large amounts. Multiple types of capsules: Although the typical adult may be able to tell capsules apart from candy, children might not.
This can make them look very similar to some candies and breath mints, like Skittles, Tic Tacs, and Spree. Tablets with a smooth outer coating: Many tablet medications, such as conjugated estrogen ( Premarin) tablets, iron supplements, and over-the-counter (OTC) ibuprofen (Advil), have a smooth outer coating to make it easier to swallow them. Some antacid chews can also look and taste like a piece of bubble gum or taffy. Most have no medicinal aftertaste, so it can be hard for even adults to tell them apart from candy out of their containers.Ĭhewable antacids: Many antacids nowadays come in multiple fruit flavors and can look and taste like Sweet Tarts or similar candy wafers products on the market. Gummy vitamins and supplements: These medications formulated for both children and adults can look and taste so similar to gummy bears, fruit snacks, and other gummy treats. There is no big list of what medications look like candy, but there are some general ones that stand out, such as:Ĭhildren’s chewable vitamins tablets: Many times, chewable vitamin tablets, such as Flintstones vitamins, can look and taste like popular chewable candies, such as Runts and candy necklaces. Common medications and poisons that can look like candy This can range from mild symptoms, such as an upset stomach, to very severe complications, including death.īecause the reaction can be unpredictable, the best approach would always be to seek medical help (see below for details and resources). Depending on what the medication is, how much, and what it does could lead to different outcomes. It is difficult to predict what will happen to a child when they take a medication they are not supposed to or too much of one they are prescribed. What happens if a child eats medication thinking it’s candy? I do this by having them look at common medications and candy and then guess which is which.
This includes knowing who they can trust to take a medication from, talking about medications, and - most importantly - recognizing that candy and medications can look very similar. One example of this is when a child takes medication because they thought it was food or candy.Īs a pharmacy professor, I have conducted numerous events with elementary school children to help them understand medications better. These medication overdoses are typically accidental. kEbMsQ/*!sc*/ĭata-styled.Every year, it is estimated that around 50,000 children need emergency medical attention because they took medication they shouldn’t have. The magical fruit: A taste test of supermarket jelly beans
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