Internet Explorer does not cooperate with this site. Please see below for options that work with APNA eLearning.*

1017-23: Is Your Cupboard Safe? Abuse of Over-the-Counter Medications and Supplements

This presentation will explore the history of over- and behind-the-counter medications and supplements and the surprising frequency of misuse and abuse of these substances in this multi billion dollar business. We will also delve into some of the “novel” drugs of abuse such as: K2, Spice, Kratom and Flakka. The educational takeaways will be valuable to your patients and family regardless of practice setting.                                                                                                           

Presenter:  Laura G. Leahy, DrNP, APRN, PMH-CNS/FNP, CARN-AP, FAANP, FAAN

Disclosures:  The APNA planners and faculty, with the exception of those listed below, have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. All relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated. Off-label uses will be discussed during this presentation. 

Dr. Leahy is on the speakers' bureau for Otsuka.

Session Length:  1 hour 45 minutes

Target Audience:  RN, APRN

Learning Outcome:
Upon completion of this presentation, the participant will be able to:

• Identify three commonly misused/abused over- or behind-the-counter medications, supplements, and/or “street drugs”.

Keywords:  Over-the-Counter Medications, Supplements, Pharmacology, Misuse, Abuse, Substance Use, Medications

Nursing Continuing Professional Development:
1.75 pharmacology contact hours.  * In order to receive contact hours, you must: Listen to presentation, complete an evaluation, and earn a passing score on the post-test before the expiration date. You will have 5 tries to correctly answer the questions on the post-test and a score of 80% is required to pass. Once you have passed and completed an evaluation, the certificate will be generated online, available for you to print immediately. You cannot earn credit unless all steps are completed.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Originally Presented
APNA 37th Annual Conference
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Access to this course will end:  November 30, 2025

*For an uninterrupted learning experience, please download and use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, etc. If you continue to experience issues, you may need to update your browser.