United States: After surgeries, thousands of Americans return home each year with a surplus of prescription opioids needed to manage the intense pain from their procedures.
However, this common practice presents new challenges, as researchers have found that many individuals do not use all the prescribed pills, increasing the risk of opioid misuse and addiction.
How are experts addressing the issue?
To address this issue, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is being held to promote safer storage and disposal practices.
Dr. Asif Ilyas, the study co-author, said, “While the larger battle against opioid misuse rages on, let’s not overlook the simple steps that can be taken post-surgery to prevent these powerful drugs from becoming a public health hazard by employing safer storage strategies,” as US News reported.
Ilyas, who is president of the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Foundation for Opioid Research & Education, added, “It’s time to ensure that the aftermath of surgical recovery doesn’t inadvertently fuel the crisis we’re trying so desperately to quell,” as US News reported.
Additionally, Ilyas said, “Nearly every statistic from this study is a call to action.”
He noted, “A staggering 94 percent of patients had leftover opioids post-surgery,” and, “While some might see this as a testament to the effectiveness of modern pain-management techniques, it also underlines a massive surplus of potent drugs ripe for potential misuse or diversion.”
Ilyas, who is also a professor of orthopedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, stated, “But it’s not just about disposal.”
He said, “Alarmingly, 86% of patients stored their opioids in unlocked locations,” and, “This casual storage approach can turn homes into inadvertent hubs for drug diversion, especially given that these powerful medications are often kept in easily accessible places like bathrooms and kitchens. This statistic should be particularly unsettling for anyone with teenagers or frequent guests.”
On National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, on Saturday, the Drug Enforcement Agency is working in cohort with the Department of Police, hospitals, and other safe disposal sites to get rid of homes of dangerous drugs.
Ilyas put stress that, such events like such “one or two days a year isn’t enough,” and, “The conversation must be ongoing, emphasizing the dangers of misuse and the importance of secure storage and proper disposal.”