Prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drugs among 12-13 year olds. Many of these pills can be found in your medicine cabinet and around your house. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Foundation and their AWARxE Consumer Protection Program are helping to stop this growing problem!
Proper drug disposal protects your loved ones from misuse. In an effort to help stop this growing problem, the DEA is hosting a Take-Back Day on April 28, 2012. If you have any unused prescription drugs in your home, you can drop them off at the designated collection site in your community on April 28. The DEA coordinates with the local law enforcement and community partners to provide thousands of sites across the country, many of them at police departments, so that the unwanted drugs are disposed of safely and legally. Sites will accept pills, both prescription and nonprescription, for disposal.
I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Carmen Catizone. Dr. Catizone is the Executive Director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and a licensed pharmacist. He currently serves as a Governor of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) Board of Directors and Chair of the PTCB Certification Council. Dr. Catizone is regularly called to serve as an expert witness for the US Government in the areas of pharmacy practice and regulation on both the state and national level issues.
Below is my interview with Dr. Catizone. For more information on prevention and the April 28 DEA Take-Back Day visit www.AWARERX.ORG, and like AWARxE on Facebook!
a) Why shouldn't someone take medications prescribed for someone else, even if it's something they've taken before?
Your health can change quickly and your doctor and your pharmacist need to assess your most current personal health information when prescribing and dispensing prescription medications for you. Your health care providers are there to assist you with any questions or issues you may experience.
Further, your health care providers consider your current medications – both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) – as well as allergies you may have, your current age, and many other factors when determining the best medication therapy for you. For children’s medications, the pediatrician and other health care providers will also consider the child’s current age and weight when making prescribing decisions. When you bypass your health care providers, you or your child may not get the appropriate treatment and you may not have access to needed medication counseling.
Also, when taking a medication prescribed for someone else, you may not be able to ensure that it has been stored properly. For example, most medications should be kept away from heat, moisture, or freezing temperatures—these conditions can damage or degrade medications and make them less effective. Some medications also have special storage requirements, such as refrigeration.
In short, taking medications not prescribed for you puts you at risk for drug-drug interactions, overdose, allergic reactions, and receiving damaged drugs, and can lead to serious health consequences, permanent injuries, or death. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2009, 1.2 million emergency department visits were related to the misuse or abuse of prescription drugs.
b) What's the best way to dispose of drugs, if there isn't a local site or drop-off day coming up?
If there are no drug disposal sites near you, there are options for disposing of drugs at home. The information that comes with your prescription may provide instructions on home disposal. Only some medications should be flushed down the toilet and the US Food and Drug Administration has a list of these drugs on its Web site. If there are no instructions for disposal you can throw the drugs in your home garbage. But first, take them out of the container and mix them with an undesirable substance like coffee grounds or cat litter. Seal the mixture in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container that can be disposed of in the garbage.
More details about drug disposal programs are available on the AWARxE Medication Disposal page.
c) How widespread is prescription drug misuse?
Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions across the country. In 2010, 7 million people aged 12 or older abused prescription drugs, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a government agency that conducts a national survey on related topics each year.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy indicates that abuse of prescription drugs is the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem, and that more and more people are dying due to abuse of prescription pain medications. The White House has implemented a multi-tiered plan to curb prescription drug abuse rates, and the plan is particularly focused on fighting abuse of prescription opioids.
d) Can you give some tips for making sure people are taking prescription drugs safely?
- When picking up a new prescription, ask to have the label and dosage explained to you. If there are any discrepancies between what the pharmacist tells you and what your doctor has told you, ask to have that discrepancy resolved immediately.
- Follow your doctor’s instructions for taking the medication, and talk to your pharmacist about any questions you may have.
- If you miss a dose of your medication, or if you mistakenly take more medication than recommended, call your doctor or pharmacist.
- Do not increase, decrease, or stop taking medicine without calling your doctor.
- Do not crush or split pills unless you have been instructed to do so by your doctor or pharmacist. Some pills are designed so that the medication is released over time, and by crushing them you may absorb the medicine too fast. By splitting pills, you may not get the correct dosage because for some drugs it is very difficult to split the pill exactly in half, thus the actual dose in each half of a split tablet can be different.
- Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you believe you are having side effects from a new prescription. Pay attention to how you feel. If you feel differently after beginning a new medication, call your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
There are many other tips for safe use of prescription drugs on the General Medication Safety Tips page of the AWARxE Web site.
e) What about OTC drugs? Can they be misused, and if so, how can we make sure we're using them (and getting rid of them) safely?
Unfortunately, OTC cough and cold medications are abused. For example, the Office of National Drug Control Policy reported that in 2006, 3.1 million people aged 12 to 25 had abused these medications to get high. Surveys have shown that 1 in 16 high school seniors abuse cold medicine.
To choose the correct OTC medication and use it safely, be sure to read the label and look for the condition or symptom the medicine treats, and how much of the medicine to take, how often, and for how long.
Talk with your pharmacist or other health care provider if you have any questions about choosing or using the OTC medication, such as whether you can take the medication with your current prescription medications.
Keep in mind that children are not small adults. OTC medications dosed for adults are not meant for children. Ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you decide which OTCs are appropriate for the children in your care.
Also, check the labels of OTC medications for the amount of acetaminophen contained, and check any prescription medications you are taking to see if they include acetaminophen. Do not take two medications containing acetaminophen as this can lead to overdose and liver damage.
There are many other tips for safe use of OTC medications on the OTC Medication Use page of the AWARxE Web site.
As with prescription drugs, parents should securely store all OTC medications in the household. For example, you may want to lock your medications in a secure cabinet or a medicine safe.
If you have OTC pills or medication that has expired, you may dispose of it at an authorized DEA Take-Back location, or a local medication disposal program. The next DEA Take-Back Day is April 28, 2012 and collection sites will be located across the country. If you need to dispose of liquid medications, check with the site to see if they can accept liquids.
More information about these events, as well as an alternate method for safely disposing of unneeded drugs in the home garbage, is available on the AWARxE Medication Disposal page.
Links for cited Web pages:
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2010 National Survey Results
- OTC Medication Use
- General Medication Safety Tips
- Medication Disposal
- FDA Drug Disposal Information
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