Drug Take Back Day focuses on safe medication storage & disposal

Spring is a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet. You can dispose of unused prescription and over-the-counter medications safely and anonymously on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

When unused prescription drugs are accidentally ingested, the outcome can be dangerous and often deadly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends storing your medicine in a place out of the reach of children and pets and putting prescription narcotics like morphine, opioids or codeine in a locked cabinet or drawer. The safest way to dispose of medications is to drop them off at designated permanent disposal sites like police stations, hospitals, and pharmacies or on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This designated Take Back Day encourages the safe disposal of medications at even more sites than the permanent disposal locations. Find these locations near you on the Arkansas Drug Take Back website by typing your ZIP code. Blue markers (which will be added to the map a week before the event) signal sites are only active on April 26. Red markers indicate permanent disposal sites available throughout the year. Contact the location for available drop-off hours.

If you cannot get to one of the disposal sites, here is some information on how to get rid of medicines at home.

Flushing?

Can you just flush leftover drugs down the sink or toilet? Not always. While flushing medicine into our water supply is usually not the best way to dispose of them, some could be so dangerous to others (children, pets, etc.) that they actually should be flushed right away.

Which medicines should be flushed? There are a couple of ways to check:

• Read the label or information that came with the medicine
• Consult the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s flush list. Remember, don’t flush your medicine unless it is on the flush list.

In the trash

If you choose to put your medications in the trash:

• Remove them from the prescription container
• Mix opioids (do not crush) with something nasty, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter before putting them in the trash
• Remove personal information from the prescription label

If children, pets or others swallow unsecured opioids, they can experience a breathing emergency called respiratory depression. Naloxone (brand name: Narcan) is a nasal spray that temporarily reverses respiratory depression, allowing emergency responders to perform life-saving care. Arkansas Blue Cross members  who have pharmacy benefits can get naloxone at their pharmacy at no cost. Pharmacists may prescribe naloxone to those requesting it. Check with your pharmacist to see if they provide this service.

ReviveAR app combats the local opioid epidemic

While progress has been made in the opioid epidemic in Arkansas, the numbers are still troubling. According to the Department of Health Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Branch, there were 306 opioid overdose deaths between December 2022 and December 2023. This represents a 13.8% decrease from the 355 opioid overdose deaths December 2021 to December 2022. Nationwide, there was only a 3.0% decrease, in line with the decline in all drug overdose deaths.

To help combat this crisis, the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership’s new ReviveAR app puts life-saving power at your fingertips at no cost. Go to their website or search for it on your phone’s app store.

ReviveAR provides:

• Guidance in identifying the signs of an opioid-related emergency
• Written and audio instructions (English, Spanish and Marshallese) on how to administer naloxone in an emergency
• Resources on:
  • Substance use prevention, treatment and recovery
  • Family support

Arkansas Blue Cross offers help

Our health plans provide resources to assist with substance use and addiction. Visit mymindhelp.com to find information and programs available.