Posts Tagged ‘DEA’

Put a Stop to Poisoning

April 25th, 2013

The benefit of everything is determined by dosage.  Even water, a critical element for life, is bad for the human body when you have too much.  But when it comes to prescription drugs, the dosage is incredibly important.  Doctors spend years learning about which medications work for what and how much is the right dose.  Lots of us think that we know what’s best for our bodies and we keep around medication from previous visits to the doctor – just in case we need it.  That can be really dangerous for us and for others in the house.  Small children might think the pills or medicine is candy… older children might try experimenting or their friends may steal it from your medicine cabinet. 

That’s why days like this Saturday are important for getting rid of mediation you aren’t currently prescribed.  There are more than 90 locations across Arizona that will let you drop off those medications from 10 am to 2 pm.  It’s hosted by the Drug Enforcement Agency and local law enforcement.  Just go to the DEA’s website and click on the “Got Drugs” button.  From there you can put in your zip code to find the closest place to you.

Reducing substance abuse is one of our five winnable battles in Arizona.  We turned a corner a few years ago when the number of drug-related deaths passed the number of people who die in car accidents.  We joined several other state agencies in a Prescription Drug Reduction Initiative.  Part of effort includes the installation of permanent drug drop boxes were installed in three counties: Yavapai (5), Pinal (7) and Graham (4). Besides the boxes tied to the Initiative, there are permanent drug drop boxes in Greenlee County and Cochise County. These boxes aren’t the only thing the initiative is doing…  last summer we held a forum to talk about prescription drugs and how people get them.  We’ve created some great tools for emergency rooms based on what we learned there.  Stay tuned for that.

When you make your honey do list for the weekend activities, think about adding “drug drop off” to the list.

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Protect Your Family – Get Rid of Drugs

September 28th, 2012

Prescription drugs serve a very important purpose in health care, when they’re used the right way.  That’s why physicians have to write the prescriptions – doctors who are trained to understand the purpose of the medication as well as the patient’s tolerance and the possibility of interactions.

However, too many times, we keep medication after we’re better.  That poses problems that often times result in death.  Sometimes young children find the medication and think they’re candy… I’ve blogged about the number of children who end up in the ER because of accidently poisoning. There’s also the issue of teens who find the drugs and start experimenting… another potentially fatal combination.  And then there’s the adults who thing we we’re as smart as our doctor and grab an old bottle of pills when we get hurt… again opening up the possibility of accidental poisoning.  But there’s good news… tomorrow the DEA and state & local partners are sponsoring another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.  This (always successful) nationwide effort provides a way for people to get rid of leftover prescription drugs.  The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. Arizonans disposed of more than 3 tons at April’s event.  There are more than 100 drop-off sites that’ll be open Saturday- and you can find the location nearest you by visiting the DEA Website.

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Trash Your Stash V

April 27th, 2012

Prescription drugs can be safe and effective at treating illnesses- but leftovers are also tempting for experimental teens- and the misuse of narcotic prescriptions is an increasingly urgent public health problem in Arizona.  In fact, more than 1,100 Arizonans died from prescription drug poisoning from misuse and abuse last year- which is more than the number of Arizonans that die in car crashes. Opioids (such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and other synthetic narcotics) were responsible for most drug overdoses. Our drug-related death statistics for 1985-2009 are available online.  Parents of teens should really pay attention to what they have around the house, and this weekend is your perfect opportunity to clean up. 

Powerful drugs are often easily accessible in many, if not most, homes- and many parents don’t recognize that these (sometimes dangerous) unused meds can be tempting for teens.  They’re often easily accessible in home medicine cabinets, and hundreds Arizonans face the devastating effects of prescription drug abuse every day.  

The DEA and state & local partners are sponsoring their 5th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.  This (always successful) nationwide effort provides a way for people to get rid of leftover prescription drugs.  The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. Arizonans disposed of more than 3 tons at April’s event.  There are more than 100 drop-off sites that’ll be open Saturday- and you can find the location nearest you by visiting the DEA Website.

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Trash Your Stash

October 28th, 2011

Prescription drugs can be safe and effective at treating illnesses- but leftovers are also tempting for experimental teens- and the misuse of narcotic prescriptions is an increasingly urgent public health problem in Arizona.  In fact, more than 1,100 Arizonans died from prescription drug poisoning from misuse and abuse last year- which is more than the number of Arizonans that die in car crashes. Opioids (such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and other synthetic narcotics) were responsible for most drug overdoses. Our drug-related death statistics for 1985-2009 are available online.  Parents of teens should really pay attention to what they have around the house, and this weekend is your perfect opportunity to clean up. 

Powerful drugs are often easily accessible in many, if not most, homes- and many parents don’t recognize that these (sometimes dangerous) unused meds can be tempting for teens.  They’re often easily accessible in home medicine cabinets, and hundreds Arizonans face the devastating effects of prescription drug abuse every day. 

The DEA and state & local partners are sponsoring another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.  This (always successful) nationwide effort provides a way for people to get rid of leftover prescription drugs.  The service is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. Arizonans disposed of more than 3 tons at April’s event.  There are more than 100 drop-off sites that’ll be open Saturday- and you can find the location nearest you by visiting the DEA Website.

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Clean Your Medicine Cabinet This Weekend!

April 29th, 2011

Prescription drugs can be safe and effective at treating illnesses and conditions, but they can also be tempting for experimental teens, and misuse and abuse of narcotic prescriptions is a growing and now urgent problem.  Powerful prescription drugs are often available and easily accessible in many, if not most, homes and many parents don’t recognize that these (sometimes dangerous) unused meds can be tempting for teens.  They’re often easily accessible in home medicine cabinets, and hundreds Arizonans face the devastating effects of prescription drug abuse every day.

In 2009, more than 1,100 Arizonans died from drug poisoning, which is more than the number of Arizonans that die in car accidents every year.  Opioids (such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone, and other synthetic narcotics) were responsible for most drug overdoses. Our drug-related death statistics for 1985-2009 are available online.  Parents of teens should really pay attention to what they have around the house, and this weekend is your perfect opportunity to clean up.

This Saturday the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)  and its state & local partners are sponsoring the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at dozens of sites all across Arizona.  The idea is to encourage folks to turn in their unused prescription drugs for proper disposal.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. At last year’s event Arizonans turned in more than 3 tons prescription drugs at nearly 75 sites. On Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. DEA and its partners will open collection sites.  There are dozens of drop-off sites that will be open Saturday, you can find the location nearest you by visiting the DEA Site Locator.

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Posted in Behavioral Health, General, Prevention

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