Two-Year-Old Arlington Girl Hospitalized After Ingesting Addiction Treatment Drug

ARLINGTON, MA—An Arlington toddler was taken to the hospital Tuesday after accidentally ingesting the medication-assisted treatment drug Suboxone, according to a release from the Arlington Police Department. 

Police report that shortly after 10 a.m., a man reported that his daughter was holding the top portion of a Suboxone package in her hand, and also reported that she appeared to be drowsy. She was taken by Armstrong Ambulance to Winchester Hospital for treatement. 

"As more people turn to medication-assisted treatment, we applaud their efforts to recover, but as a public safety agency we want to urge everyone to treat these products like any other prescription drug in the home. That means keeping it stored high and away from where children could accidentally find and ingest it," Chief Frederick Ryan said in a statement. "The same basic rules should apply to all prescription drugs in the home, and the entire family needs to be invested and on the same page."

The Suboxone the girl ingested belong to one of the residents of the home. In light of the incident, police took a moment to urge residents to heed caution with such medicines. 

When taken by children, buprenorphine product (including suboxone), which mimic some of the effects of opioids, can cause respiratory issues and other complications, according to the release from the Arlington Police Department. The release also indicated that these products are less dangerous than if a child took methadone or opioids like morphine.