Recommendations

Home

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration -

Recommendations

What Procedures Should be Taken to Ensure the Safe Handling of Medications?

The Drug Enforcement Administration has given permission to Safer Child, Inc. to reprint this article on ADD/ADHD and stimulants -- including methylphenidate (Ritalin).

What Procedures Should be Taken to Ensure the Safe Handling of These Medications?

Never permit a student to carry medication to or from the school. Schools should require that medication such as methylphenidate be brought to the school by a parent or an adult guardian. School clinic staff should ensure that a student requiring ADHD medication on a twice-daily basis provide an adequate supply of the medication to enable school personnel to administer the medication.

ADHD medication should be provided to the school in a pharmacy container which identifies the name of the medication, the name of the physician who wrote the prescription, the dosage to be administered and the frequency of administration.

One person (preferably the school nurse) should maintain primary control of the drug supply. An incoming/outgoing log should be maintained that:

	indicates the name and strength of the medication received by the clinic;
	the amount of medication received (a count should be conducted in the presence of the adult who brought the medication to the school and who should then initial and date the drug log);
	the dates of administration; and
	the student to whom administered.

This same log should indicate the quantity of medication being removed from the school (again a count should be conducted in the presence of the adult who will be removing the medication from the school). As mentioned previously, the school should not permit a student to either bring their ADHD medication to school or take this medication home with them.

Have the student take the medication in your presence so that you can verify that it has in fact been taken. Schools should not permit a student to self-administer medication. The student should not take medication without an adult present. Additionally, it is important that the school nurse verify the identity of the student receiving the medication.

The drug supply should be maintained in a locked room, drawer or cabinet. Keys to the locked drug storage area should be limited and an inventory of keys should be maintained.

Lastly, encourage the parents of students with ADHD to inform all of the child's teachers about the medication usage so they can be alert for side effects and medical problems.

Go to Top

Home

Advertisements

Feedback

Advocacy

Donations

Safer Child, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with federal tax-exempt status. Please note: 1) External organizations listed herein do not necessarily endorse Safer Child positions, nor do we necessarily endorse theirs. We list them as a courtesy and aren't responsible for their accuracy, completeness or content. 2) We recommend you maintain a healthy skepticism when reviewing information on the Internet; it might appear to be reliable -- yet actually be false, misleading, incomplete, out-of-date and/or intentionally harmful. 3) There might be material on the Internet that you disagree with or find objectionable; preview all sites before viewing them with your child. 4) We are not responsible for external addresses/phone numbers changing without our knowledge. 5) The information and commentary on this site are not substitutes for professional advice from your doctor, lawyer, or mental health professional. 6) Requests for permission to republish, copy and/or distribute any material found on this Web site should be directed to Safer Child, Inc.

This Web site is supported by donated services from SISNA of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho,

and has received a grant from the Wendell P. & Barbara J. Marshall Family Trust in the Idaho Community Foundation.

Safer Child is also supported by Time4Learning.com, online education from preschool through middle school,
and LOCKSAF, manufacturer of biometric gun safes that "provide quick access with foolproof security for firearms and other valuables." (Enter the discount code "saferchild15" when you purchase a PBS-001 and receive 15% off the manufacturer's suggested retail price and 10% will be donated to Safer Child, Inc.)