The Kenosha County Substance Abuse Coalition (KCSAC) invites you to start three medication habits: DISCUSS, SECURE, DISPOSE. Of course, if you’re already doing these, please do continue!
DISCUSSING treatment options with your health care provider and being an informed consumer is the first step. You are in charge of your healthcare and, potentially, that of others. It’s OK to ask your doctor for more information about their recommendations before deciding which is the right choice for you or your loved one.
DISCUSS why your doctor feels the recommendation is best for you.
DISCUSS why you think it may not be.
DISCUSS the benefits, side effects, and risk factors of a medication before deciding to take it.
DISCUSS other options available to you, including those that are non-medical.
SECURING your medications is an important and easy way for you to help keep your family and friends safe. Most people think only those with little ones or teens need to secure their meds. However, while children are more susceptible to accidental ingestion, anyone experimenting with drugs or struggling with a substance use disorder may sneak your medications.
Furthermore, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, two-thirds of teens who misused pain relievers in the past year say they got them from family and friends, including their own homes’ medicine cabinets, making safeguarding medicine in the home vitally important. Safe storage and disposal of medications diminish opportunities for easy access.
SECURE means using a lockbox rather than a medicine cabinet for your medications.
SECURE means keeping that lockbox in a safe place, such as a locked closet, inaccessible to those who may abuse the medications.
SECURE means knowing exactly how many medications are being dispensed and how many are left.
SECURE also means securing the medications only for use by the person they were prescribed to. Sharing medications is illegal and unsafe.
DISPOSING of your medications properly is the last step in safe medication habits and can benefit your whole community.
DISPOSE of your medications at one of the many medication drop box locations that you can find here. Research indicates that Lake Michigan is being contaminated by improperly disposed pharmaceuticals; don’t be a person making that contamination worse by flushing your pharma!
DISPOSE of unused medications using DisposeRx, a simple home waste disposal solution that uses non-toxic polymers to permanently sequester prescription drugs. DisposeRx works for powders, pills, tablets, capsules, liquids, and patches, making them inert and unavailable for illicit use or contamination. Contact us for more information or a DisposeRx packet.
DISPOSE of unused medications so they aren’t tempting or available for misuse by family or friends.
DISPOSE of your unused medications when the reason you were prescribed them is no longer relevant. It’s important to get rid of all those partially-used prescriptions that so many of us have laying around. Holding on to that prescription “just in case” you need it again one day is not a good idea: any accident or impaired driving charge that occurs while under the influence of drugs taken not as prescribed or taken outside the prescribed period can lead to enhanced charges, including charges of possession of controlled substances because, technically speaking, those medications are illegal.
Please start these three easy medication practices: DISCUSS, SECURE, DISPOSE. By doing so, you really might SAVE A LIFE.
