TV Host and relationship and intimacy therapist Doctor Berman's 16-year-old son, Samuel, died from an accidental overdose at home.
On Instagram last Sunday, Berman first shared the news of her son's death, writing that her son got "the drugs delivered to the house" in an "experimentation gone badly." In a statement provided by her husband, Samuel Chapman, Berman said, "Our son Sammy was a beautiful soul who left us way too soon," and added, "Our hearts are broken for ourselves and for all the other children that are suffering during this pandemic."
Berman cautioned other parents to watch their kids and WATCH SNAPCHAT, and explained that her son got the unknowingly fatal drug through Snapchat on his hands."
It seems like a drug dealer has linked with him on Snapchat and provided him with fentanyl (sic) laced Xanax, which led him to overdose in his room, as Berman wrote. She said, "They do this because it hooks people even more and is good for business, but (it) causes overdose, and the kids don't know what they are taking."
Berman harked back to her son as a "straight A-list student" who was already prepping up for college. She added, "I post this now only so that not one more kiddie." Today, she is pleading with several social media platforms to join in the investigation of Samuel's death.
Knowing the warning signs of medication overdose in kids
Preventing it from happening in the first place is the best way to deal with an overdose. To store and safely use medication, follow these tips:
- Keep the medicine out of reach and sight of your children by storing them high up. Each time you use it, put it away. Close the child-resistant caps until they stop turning or clicking.
- Carefully read labels and give drugs only as directed. Use the dosage container, never a kitchen spoon that came with the medication.
- Check the active ingredients of all the medicines for your child. Ensure that you do not supply two products containing the same active ingredient.
Often, parents know that their child has been taking so much medication without a doubt. They could have found an empty bottle or watched their infant swallow more pills before they can help.
Other times, when they are not watching, their little ones may take drugs, or they unintentionally gave too high a dosage or mixed two medications with the same active ingredient, like colds medication and pain killer, all containing acetaminophen.
If you know or think your child has taken too much medication, dial 800-222-1222 at the Poison Control Line. Always take immediate action. Keep the number programmed and placed on your refrigerator or your home and mobile phones. Immediately call 911 if your child is experiencing the following:
- Does not wake up
- Has difficulty breathing
- Irrepressibly shaking
- Showing exceedingly unusual behavior
- Has difficulties swallowing
- Develops a rash that rapidly spreads
- The face is swelling up
Watch for the following red flags of overdose symptoms if you're unsure if your child has taken too much medicine. They can vary depending on your child's age and weight, along with the type and quantity of the medication he or she has taken. The following signs, in general, indicate a problem:
- Diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
- Drooling or dryness of mouth
- Extreme tiredness
- Loss of balance and slurred discourse
- Numbness
- Seizures
- Pressure in the abdomen
- Rapid heartbeat
- Schoolchildren who either grow larger or shrink
- Skin or eyes yellow
- Symptoms similar to the flu
- Transpiration
- Unusual hemorrhages or bruising
