Drug Abuse – Part 2

June 2010 Navy

by LCDR David M. Bradley, USN (Ret)

Prevention Strategies

Prevention strategies for older adult substance abuse and misuse need to take into account that the usual distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention are a poor fit with the patterns of substance use and health problems already present among seniors. Among the elderly, a condition may be simultaneously a preventable disease and a problem in its own right, as well as being a precursor or risk factor for another condition. It is thus appropriate to direct prevention efforts toward management of conditions that have already developed as well as to the primary prevention of new ones. Intervention in alcohol problems, for example, becomes primary prevention against the development of other health problems, and perhaps the most appropriate strategy for misuse of licit drugs is appropriate medication management of a continuing health problem.

Safeguarding Prescription Drugs

So, you had a tooth pulled or some outpatient surgery, and your doctor prescribed a painkiller – maybe Vicodin or Percocet, or something of that sort. Chances are you didn’t finish the entire prescription. What did you do with the leftover pills? You probably saved them, thinking you’d save some money next time by having them on hand.

Or perhaps you are taking drugs prescribed by your doctor for a temporary or chronic condition. How closely do you keep track of exactly how many pills or patches you have on hand?

What you may not have thought of is that your teen, your housekeeper, or a family member decided that they’d help themselves to that little stash of leftover pills. Maybe they thought they’d just see what it was like, or maybe they know that a single OxyContin pill can sell for $40 in the schoolyard or factory lunchroom. Perhaps your six-year-old child thinks that the pretty little pink pill will taste like her favorite little pink candy.

Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs

It’s not enough to hide your prescription medication, unless you’ve got a bank-quality safe buried in your floor. Consider those drugs as deadly as a firearm, and treat them accordingly. Better yet, don’t keep them at all if you are not still using them. Chances are they will expire before you are ever prescribed that specific drug again.

Proper drug disposal is an emerging environmental issue. As with any household waste, the disposal method chosen can have a direct effect on safety and the health of the environment. Most strive to be responsible. What are your options? Learn how safely to dispose of your unwanted medications.

Because of the numerous dangers of abusing prescription drugs and their easy accessibility, the government has updated its federal guidelines for the proper disposal of expired or unused medicines. Follow these guidelines to keep your family safe:

• Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers and throw the containers in the trash. Remove all personal identification from prescription bottles.
• Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, nondescript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags.
• DO NOT FLUSH prescription drugs down the toilet or pour down the drain. Studies have shown that pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter drugs are present in our nation’s water bodies and certain drugs may cause ecological harm. A number of studies have shown impacts on aquatic life. For example, male fish have been feminized (produced eggs) when exposed to hormones (birth control pills). Other drugs, such as antidepressants and beta-blockers, reduce fertility or affect spawning in certain aquatic organisms. Outdated or unusable drugs that are disposed of by flushing or pouring down a sink enter the environment because wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove them.
• Check with your police department to see if they have a drug collection program.
• Check to see if your community household hazardous waste program collects medications (they must have law enforcement officials present) or if your community is holding a Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet event.
• Call your local pharmacy and find out if it has a take-back program that allows the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal.
• Clean out your medicine cabinet at least once a year – just like you put new batteries in your smoke detectors.

Keeping Your Children Safe

Make sure your children know that prescription drugs are only safe for the person named on the label. Explain to them that the medication is meant only to be used for a specific medical condition, and by a specific individual who has been told how to take the medication and what side effects to look out for.

Older children should also be made aware that selling any kind or amount of a prescription drug is illegal, and could lead to their arrest and conviction as a drug dealer.

If your child has been prescribed a medication for the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, like Ritalin or Adderall, make sure they know never to give their medication to anybody else. Carefully monitor the supply of their medication.