United States: About thousands of Americans head toward their home on a yearly basis. It happens so after surgeries requiring excessive prescription opioids to deal with the harrowing pain caused by their operations.
However, the most popular option poses a whole new raft of issues, as the researchers noted many people won’t use all those pills, and that could encourage misuse of opioids and drug addiction.
Moreover, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be organized on Saturday to confront the stigma one more time, according to the expert.
What do the experts have to say?
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.”
About 68 percent of patients had disposed of such excess opioids. However, it also means that such actions vary significantly.
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.”