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Medication safe for dorm?


marbel
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This is a sort of followup to the recent steamer trunk thread.

My ADD kid is going to live in a dorm for the first time and was advised to get a small safe for his ADD meds.  I have seen loads of different types of safes so I know one will not be hard to find.

But I am wondering: Is having a safe going to lead to curiosity about why a person needs a safe, and possibly lead to someone attempting to break into it?  And/or, will getting into the safe daily to get meds out bring too much attention to it?   He may not always be able to wait till his roommate is out of the room to get his pill out.  (I suppose lots of people take daily meds, and he is not going to broadcast what it is but then why would something innocuous and with low value like an allergy pill or multivitamin be kept in a safe?)

Or, are dorm safes so ubiquitous that it's not a big deal?  I can think of lots of things one might want to keep in a safe:  extra cash, debit/credit cards, certain documents though I can't think of what documents a kid would have at school.  (Ah, next I will start wondering what documents my kid should have at school.)

If you are about to shake your head at my stupidity, please note that I did not go away to college, and my husband says that when he was living in dorms, no one ever gave a thought to locking things up.

You can see I've given this a lot of thought, LOL.  What says the more experienced Hive college moms?

 

Edited by marbel
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Good question.  I'd like to know too.  DD would normally be a rising junior in college but she's at cc now and will transfer in a year or so.  She is on seizure medicine which controls her seizures (she's seizure free on med).  

 

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We were just talking about this the other day for DD18.  A little trip on Google spotted us this one:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/vaultz-locking-storage-chest-white/1000373197?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-hdw-_-google-_-pla-_-203-_-safes-_-1000373197-_-0&kpid&k_clickID=go_1725264633_68680795438_336385099153_pla-311630864787_t_9033841&gclid=CjwKCAjwxrzoBRBBEiwAbtX1n1xaqVGsasEwiw4BIbc_p0Orgdy7WS1zyLRl6VUcsrgaj1_HoBKX6hoCeZkQAvD_BwE

This one is a little fancier than we were thinking as it has dual locks.  But it does have the things I think were important in a dorm room safe - all metal, a combo lock (no lost keys!) and a security cable to fasten the safe to something solid so it can’t just be picked up and taken.

And yes - I think these safes are pretty common in dorms these days for storing medications, passports and cash.

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3 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

<snip>

Having said that, I don't think a safe is a bizarre thing for someone to have in a dorm (or apartment with roommates.)  Lots of folks have safes for lots of different reasons.  And safes can be pretty small, something easily kept in a drawer.  So if it would make you more comfortable, I think getting a small one wouldn't be a big deal.  Mostly likely with a small one, a roommate wouldn't even notice, let alone anyone else.    

 

Good thoughts, thank you. I am not sure which makes me more comfortable, a safe or no safe.  I would never have thought of it if people (such as someone from the school's disabilities services) hadn't suggested it.

I will add that he safes I have seen recommended have a cable to attach it to a piece of furniture, like a leg of the bed - as in AK_Mom4's link above.  Otherwise, a person could just take the safe and find a way to break it open elsewhere.

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37 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

 

 

The only time I would think that any sort of safe would be warranted would be if the person had a daily opiod.  I used to work in a pharmacy and really,  if someone's robbing a pharmacy, they are doing so for opiods, the vast majority of the time.  And I suspect that even for smaller individual thefts, the most likely to be stolen is opiods. 

 

.    

 

I disagree.  I think it would be wise to lock up ADHD meds.  These are high value meds, particularly in a college setting where stimulant abuse is common.   Casual/opportunity theft from a dorm room is a somewhat different situation than robbing a pharmacy.

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1 hour ago, marbel said:

This is a sort of followup to the recent steamer trunk thread.

My ADD kid is going to live in a dorm for the first time and was advised to get a small safe for his meds.  I have seen loads of different types of safes so I know one will not be hard to find.

But I am wondering: Is having a safe going to lead to curiosity about why a person needs a safe, and possibly lead to someone attempting to break into it?  And/or, will getting into the safe daily to get meds out bring too much attention to it?   He may not always be able to wait till his roommate is out of the room to get his pill out.  (I suppose lots of people take daily meds, and he is not going to broadcast what it is but then why would something innocuous and with low value like an allergy pill or multivitamin be kept in a safe?)

Or, are dorm safes so ubiquitous that it's not a big deal?  I can think of lots of things one might want to keep in a safe:  extra cash, debit/credit cards, certain documents though I can't think of what documents a kid would have at school.  (Ah, next I will start wondering what documents my kid should have at school.)

If you are about to shake your head at my stupidity, please note that I did not go away to college, and my husband says that when he was living in dorms, no one ever gave a thought to locking things up.

You can see I've given this a lot of thought, LOL.  What says the more experienced Hive college moms?

 

A doctor I know suggests that students bring a coat or jacket they don’t wear and keep the meds in the pocket of that. I don’t know how well that would work. Your ds would need to be careful about his roommate seeing him get them out of there. A safe is a good idea, but discretion is going to be your ds’s friend as far as not getting his meds stolen. Wathe is right, those types of meds are a frequently stolen item on college campuses. 

Edited for spelling

Edited by scholastica
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Ds didn't want a safe because it would be noticeable he had something of value. He kept his meds hidden in his shower caddy. It worked for him because it was something he took to the bathroom every morning and night and he took his meds there. Of course, his college has pod bathrooms so more private.

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OK, taking a "safe" out of the equation then, what creative ways would you suggest for hiding meds?  Well, actually, in my dd's case it wouldn't be hiding meds but keeping them "safe" in one area so it doesn't get lost as she has to take it daily (no exceptions). 

IDEAS?  Inside a sock?  Pill bottle inside a very small box to slide into drawer?  Other?  Again, this is not to "hide" but to keep in one location so it doesn't get lost. 

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Just now, happysmileylady said:

My oldest has always kept both her control med and her emergency inhaler in her purse.  This started because she was also working part time and between her class schedule and work schedule, she couldn't always predict where she would be when it was time to take the med.  She struggled to find the right control meds so the dosing schedule was also varying at times.  

Right, thanks.  My dd won't be carrying a purse on campus as she'll be weighted down with a backpack.  I did forget to mention that she takes her med only at night now.  I need to think now of what will be best.  Maybe just a pretty box in her room.  ????

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4 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I keep a "meds and personal stuff" bag in my purse.  It's a small little make up bag and it contains ibuprofen, kids ibuprofen (# mom stuff lol) lip balm, nail clippers, and also any meds I might need on an as needed basis (like right now I have an antiviral for shingles.)  Could your DD put together a similar sort of bag to keep in her back pack?  My DH takes a backpack to work and he does keep a small bag with aspirins, nail clippers and a few other similar things in his work backpack.  DH uses a "manly" canvas bag from some free fishing event, I just picked up a cheap dollar store make up bag.  

I really like that idea and am smiling at "manly".  🙂   See, dd takes the med ONLY at night and I feel that a backpack would not work for her.  I can see her now rummaging through her backpack looking for such and thus and the bottle un/knowingly falls out and perhaps gets lost.   I think the backpack, for dd, is not the place.  But, it makes total sense for ib, meds, etc needed during the day.   This is an expensive med and it does need to be in her room so it doesn't get lost. 

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2 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

Well, you could convert concept to something in the room.  Just a little caddy in a drawer, with similar contents.  The dollar store has eleventy billion little caddys and baskets and stuff.  Very easy to locate in the corner of a drawer in the dresser or desk.  Or even just go with a little make up bag.  In fact, perhaps a "night time bag"  She could put the meds, an eye mask (if she uses it) toothpaste, tooth brush, etc all in it, that way all the night time stuff is all in one spot.  

Right.  I just googled for some ideas.  I'm thinking what I found and your reply here that perhaps there are a couple options.  I realized it should be transparent for her to easily see the contents.  Then, I'm sure she'll use IB, Allegra so get a caddy or "open" basket with all of those bottles in there.  Hoping it doesn't get knocked over.  Or, one of those small transparent and small storage boxes with lid for her med and other bottles.  ???

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We keep all of our prescription medication in a document safe for both child safety and for keeping them safe from theft. A "friend" stole medication (pain medication from dh and anxiety meds from me) from us in the past so we keep them locked and hidden now. Every week, we fill up our pill caddies from the safe and just keep the pill caddies where we can easily access them but on a shelf that is difficult for 6yo ds to reach.

I'm sure plenty of your dd's dorm mates will have birth control pills that are in a round pill caddy-like container where you just pop one out each day to take it so I'm sure no one would question her on a small pill caddy. You can find round pill caddies at dollar tree. Maybe she could keep a week's worth in the caddy and keep that accessible to take them but keep the rest of the month's prescription in a safe. Then she just needs to get in the habit of filling the caddy each week. If she leaves the caddy out and it gets stolen, that's a lot smaller loss than losing the entire month's worth.

Edited by sweet2ndchance
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4 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

Oh totally!  I am now flashing back to when I was in high school a million years ago and we all had those "Caboodles" with the little latches.  Today, it's totally easy to find some sort of cheap clear box with a lid.  

I don't know; I'm thinking through it.  Does that sound good or no?  We just can't have her lose the bottle and replace for $10.  ???

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4 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I think it will totally work.  I think that it will just take some discipline on her part that XYZ spot (basket, caddy, bag, box) in ABC drawer (underwear drawer, pencil drawer in her desk, corner space on the shelf above the bed, whatever) is where this stuff goes, and you take the stuff, and then just put it back.  Probably one of the advantages of DD being in whatever random spot at med time was that there wasn't anywhere else for it to go.  It's not like she could randomly set it somewhere else except her purse while sitting in class at 8:45 am lol

Yep, I get that!  My dd used to take the med 2x/day.  Once in the morning upon waking up and the other before going to bed.  Now it's just taken once a day at night - before bed time.  She should be "in" at a reasonable time 🙂 but if she is out late once in a while that is fine.  Preferably no later than midnight but that would not be the norm and only once in a while.  You've brought up good points and thanks for helping me think through this.   

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When I was in college, I was still taking medicine for childhood epilepsy.  I took pills 4x/day.  I had a 1-drawer file cabinet that I kept papers in and then also stored jewelry and my monthly supply pill bottle.  At the start of the school year, I kept a combination lock on it, but once I knew that my roommates might steal your chips but would never steal anything of value, I quit locking it.  They both knew about the epilepsy - at that point I had outgrown it, but the doctors wanted me to get through a couple of years of college before stopping the medicine since stress  can trigger seizures in anybody and the roomies needed to be forewarned.  Every week I'd fill a 7-day pill box with 4/day, and I usually kept that in the pocket of my backpack since I took them with each meal and then at night.  Within a few months the whole floor and my non-dorm friends also knew about it since I was often taking a pill while eating a meal with somebody.  I never had any problems, either with theft or with people being weird about me taking pills.  If he only needs a pill at night, it's easier to do it unobtrusively, but roommates live very 'on top of each other' so it seems likely that they'd notice at some point.  

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12 minutes ago, ClemsonDana said:

When I was in college, I was still taking medicine for childhood epilepsy.  I took pills 4x/day.  I had a 1-drawer file cabinet that I kept papers in and then also stored jewelry and my monthly supply pill bottle.  At the start of the school year, I kept a combination lock on it, but once I knew that my roommates might steal your chips but would never steal anything of value, I quit locking it.  They both knew about the epilepsy - at that point I had outgrown it, but the doctors wanted me to get through a couple of years of college before stopping the medicine since stress  can trigger seizures in anybody and the roomies needed to be forewarned.  Every week I'd fill a 7-day pill box with 4/day, and I usually kept that in the pocket of my backpack since I took them with each meal and then at night.  Within a few months the whole floor and my non-dorm friends also knew about it since I was often taking a pill while eating a meal with somebody.  I never had any problems, either with theft or with people being weird about me taking pills.  If he only needs a pill at night, it's easier to do it unobtrusively, but roommates live very 'on top of each other' so it seems likely that they'd notice at some point.  

Thanks for sharing that.  DD is on anti-seizure med.  Her neuro wanted to try weaning again but we've mapped out the next few years and, like your doctors, felt that she needs to get through college before attempting weaning again.  We've tried 2x unsuccessfully.  But, her eeg's have been coming back clean/normal "on med".  We're hoping she'll continue to outgrow her szs which will be validated in a few years with an eeg and 2 years of no sz activity.  

She's not ashamed of taking med - neither are we.  She's ok with people knowing, that's not an issue for us.  Just want it to be in a safe place where she "sees" it which then she'll remember to take it and it won't get bumped in to or anything like that causing it to go missing for who knows how long. 

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He's certainly not going to talk about taking ADD meds; he knows they can be a hot commodity on a college campus.  I am dubious that in a shared housing situation, esp. where the bedroom is shared, that it's going to be that easy to keep daily pill-taking a secret.

We talked about this thread and other things we've read on the topic over dinner tonight. We have sort of come to the conclusion that a safe that is not accessed daily may still be a good idea for cash, cards, and the main supply of pills. And, a weekly pill case he can have in his backpack.   He can access the safe when the roommate is in the shower or class or something. I assume they will get to know each other's schedule to some degree.  

 

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6 minutes ago, marbel said:

He's certainly not going to talk about taking ADD meds; he knows they can be a hot commodity on a college campus.  I am dubious that in a shared housing situation, esp. where the bedroom is shared, that it's going to be that easy to keep daily pill-taking a secret.

We talked about this thread and other things we've read on the topic over dinner tonight. We have sort of come to the conclusion that a safe that is not accessed daily may still be a good idea for cash, cards, and the main supply of pills. And, a weekly pill case he can have in his backpack.   He can access the safe when the roommate is in the shower or class or something. I assume they will get to know each other's schedule to some degree.  

 

I guess I'm clueless to other meds as I never even thought that ADD med would be sought after.   That brings up a good point though - is he sharing a room or will there be a roommate?   Do kids go through other kids' belongings?  I dunno and feel naïve on the subject.  I guess I'm too trusting of others.  

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32 minutes ago, sheryl said:

Thanks for sharing that.  DD is on anti-seizure med.  Her neuro wanted to try weaning again but we've mapped out the next few years and, like your doctors, felt that she needs to get through college before attempting weaning again.  We've tried 2x unsuccessfully.  But, her eeg's have been coming back clean/normal "on med".  We're hoping she'll continue to outgrow her szs which will be validated in a few years with an eeg and 2 years of no sz activity.  

She's not ashamed of taking med - neither are we.  She's ok with people knowing, that's not an issue for us.  Just want it to be in a safe place where she "sees" it which then she'll remember to take it and it won't get bumped in to or anything like that causing it to go missing for who knows how long. 

The good thing for me about keeping them in the small pocket of my backpack was that it's where I kept pencils, lip balm, hair brush with scrunchies, wallet with student ID that had to be swiped to eat on campus, etc - in other words, it's something that I was in and out of all the time.  And, I came off of my medicine after my sophomore year - I had been through 2 years of college (and in my program the 2nd year had the reputation of being the worst) and stepped down my dosages over the summer.  I had 6 weeks medicine-free before school started back and it was fine (other than being jittery - years of taking what are basically depressants left me a little wired for a while).  Good luck to your daughter!  

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6 minutes ago, ClemsonDana said:

The good thing for me about keeping them in the small pocket of my backpack was that it's where I kept pencils, lip balm, hair brush with scrunchies, wallet with student ID that had to be swiped to eat on campus, etc - in other words, it's something that I was in and out of all the time.  And, I came off of my medicine after my sophomore year - I had been through 2 years of college (and in my program the 2nd year had the reputation of being the worst) and stepped down my dosages over the summer.  I had 6 weeks medicine-free before school started back and it was fine (other than being jittery - years of taking what are basically depressants left me a little wired for a while).  Good luck to your daughter!  

Yes, thanks for that!  I know a backpack would make sense if taking while out and about but she takes only before bedtime.  I'd rather have it secured in a room.  Will probably use one of the ideas I mentioned above.  So glad all is well with/for you!  That is encouraging.  We are hoping for a good outcome for dd in the future but she's ok if for some reason she has to stay on it. 

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my girls lived on campus (my sons went local) - they had wardrobes, where they could have put a safe and had it be unobtrusive.

has your dc chosen a roommate?  or assigned one?  some roommates are good about locking doors (when the school will tell people to "lock your door"!), other's.. not so much.

I'm sure there are some who have safes for cash/jewelry/etc.  gun safes are really small, and a very small one could easily be more discrete.

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My kids who lived in dorms never had a safe or locked anything up.  Meds were probably kept in the underwear drawer or cosmetic bag.  If they ended up having a roommate who was a problem, then they maybe would have thought of an alternative solution, but that never happened.

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5 hours ago, sheryl said:

I guess I'm clueless to other meds as I never even thought that ADD med would be sought after.   That brings up a good point though - is he sharing a room or will there be a roommate?   Do kids go through other kids' belongings?  I dunno and feel naïve on the subject.  I guess I'm too trusting of others.  

Very sought after, but not necessarily via theft - apparently, it's not that hard to find them for sale, as sometimes students with prescriptions sell them.  Of course, some of those students who sell them get arrested for dealing drugs and end up in prison.  That derails a lot of plans.

And yes, sometimes students do go through others' belongings.  The theft problem is worse when students don't lock their doors.  

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If a kid is only taking one medication, might it be easier to hide the pills in plain sight by transferring them to something like a vitamin bottle and then just casually tossing it in a drawer, rather than dealing with the inconvenience of a safe? Many people take daily vitamins, so it wouldn’t seem unusual for a kid to take a pill or two every night.

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Slight tangent:  Consider having a strategy in place for what to do if the ADHD med do get lost or stolen.  Most of these meds are controlled substances.  Emergency departments and urgent cares will not refill/replace controlled substances (around here anyway).  Replacement meds will have to come from the patient's regular prescriber, who may insist on a visit, which might present a challenge if college is far away.

Edited by wathe
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3 hours ago, wathe said:

Slight tangent:  Consider having a strategy in place for what to do if the ADHD med do get lost or stolen.  Most of these meds are controlled substances.  Emergency departments and urgent cares will not refill/replace controlled substances (around here anyway).  Replacement meds will have to come from the patient's regular prescriber, who may insist on a visit, which might present a challenge if college is far away.

Oh yeah.  Fortunately the school is only about 60 miles away.  But that and how to manage the quarterly visits during the school year is a hot topic right now and is on the agenda for the next appointment with the prescriber. I thought the school's health services would have some way that visits could be made at school (with a school physician or PA/NP), coordinated with the regular prescriber. But no.  I have wondered what people do when school is far away and travel is impossible.

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Disability services probably would have told you if this was an option, but at some colleges, it is possible for student health to hold a prescription and for the student to stop by and refill a smaller supply from that supply, or even just take them daily. It’s used a lot for meds that need to be kept cold, but not frozen (like insulin) because the little refrigerators aren’t as stable as big ones, but could be used for something like ADHD meds or opioid pain meds which have a high risk of theft. 

 

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12 hours ago, dmmetler said:

Disability services probably would have told you if this was an option, but at some colleges, it is possible for student health to hold a prescription and for the student to stop by and refill a smaller supply from that supply, or even just take them daily. It’s used a lot for meds that need to be kept cold, but not frozen (like insulin) because the little refrigerators aren’t as stable as big ones, but could be used for something like ADHD meds or opioid pain meds which have a high risk of theft. 

 

I'll have him ask at health services.  Disabilities Services may have mentioned it for all I know - he may have missed it.  I could see value in them storing all but a week's supply for him, if it's an option. Thanks for that suggestion 

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21 hours ago, wathe said:

Slight tangent:  Consider having a strategy in place for what to do if the ADHD med do get lost or stolen.  Most of these meds are controlled substances.  Emergency departments and urgent cares will not refill/replace controlled substances (around here anyway).  Replacement meds will have to come from the patient's regular prescriber, who may insist on a visit, which might present a challenge if college is far away.

A friend had her son's meds stolen (not a dorm situation), and she had to file a police report in order to get the meds replaced. 

18 hours ago, marbel said:

Oh yeah.  Fortunately the school is only about 60 miles away.  But that and how to manage the quarterly visits during the school year is a hot topic right now and is on the agenda for the next appointment with the prescriber. I thought the school's health services would have some way that visits could be made at school (with a school physician or PA/NP), coordinated with the regular prescriber. But no.  I have wondered what people do when school is far away and travel is impossible.

Wow. That's frustrating. I am concerned about this when it's time for my kids to be off. It's hard enough to get them when all goes well due to not being able to refill them ahead, etc. Just going on vacation about the time meds run out is an ordeal.

14 hours ago, dmmetler said:

Disability services probably would have told you if this was an option, but at some colleges, it is possible for student health to hold a prescription and for the student to stop by and refill a smaller supply from that supply, or even just take them daily. It’s used a lot for meds that need to be kept cold, but not frozen (like insulin) because the little refrigerators aren’t as stable as big ones, but could be used for something like ADHD meds or opioid pain meds which have a high risk of theft. 

I would've never thought about this!

This has been a great thread!

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Quoting myself:

1 hour ago, Kareni said:

My daughter was fortunate in not having to deal with theft (other than goodies from a hall fridge) ...

I can remember suggesting to my daughter that something like this might help stop fridge thefts!

Regards,

 Kareni

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