Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse and Misuse
Prescription drug abuse and misuse is on the rise in Colorado and throughout the United States. It is important that you take action to ensure that your medicines are kept in a safe place, and that your child knows the dangers of misusing a drug that is not prescribed to them.
Stats and Facts:
15% of Denver Public School High Students reported having used prescription drugs without a prescription (HKCS, 2019).
66% of people misusing prescription drugs obtained them from a friend or relative (SAMHSA).
80% of heroin users start with a prescription opioid (SAMHSA).
Tips to Help you Store your Meds Safely
Consider products you might not think about; such as medicines for your pets and over the counter medicines.
Monitor your medicine use. Keep an updated list of all prescription medicine in your home. Take an inventory at least twice a year — when clocks ‘spring’ forward in the spring and ‘fall’ back in autumn. You can also use this time to dispose of any medicines that you no longer need.
Ask your pharmacist if any of the medicine you have been prescribed may have the potential for abuse.
Do not share prescription medicine. Healthcare professionals prescribe specific medicine for individuals based on personal medical histories and other health factors. A medicine that works for one person may cause harm—even death—to someone else, even if symptoms are similar.