Importance of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

April 22, 2021

WXXV,

DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday and drop off sites will be available across the Coast.

Singing River Hospital and Biloxi Police Department speak about the importance of the Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

With opioid overdose deaths increasing, the DEA is hosting their 20^th annual National Prescription Take Back Day. This day gives people a chance to dispose of any unwanted and unused medicine within their home safely. Biloxi PD Captain Brian Dykes said, “It’s very important that you dispose of them properly. You don’t want to dump them into the water supply by dumping them down the drain or down the toilet. You don’t want to throw them away where someone can potentially come by and go through your garbage and find them. It’s just a way to keep prescription medication out of the hands of people who don’t really need them.”

Clinical Pharmacist Coordinator Chris Ayers says it is important to keep prescription drugs away from children. “Unfortunately, our emergency rooms all across the country see small children that will come in. They get into a parents’ or grandparents’ medication by accident and that can lead to poisoning.”

The CDC says that the United States has had an increase in overdoses since the COVID-19 pandemic started with around 83,000 Americans overdosing in the 12-month period. “During the pandemic, unfortunately, one of the things, because so many people had been home, a lot of job losses, things like that, that can lead to depression, we have seen a spike in overdose cases.”

Over the span of Drug Take Back Day, the DEA has brought in more than 6,800 tons of prescription drugs. “The greatest risk is unused medications. Out there about 20 million people a year have an abuse problem from unused medications. About half of those are what you would think about like pain medications, but the others are what you might not think about like muscle relaxers, sleep medicines, stimulants, things like that.”

Those looking to dump their old medicines can visit the Biloxi Police Department from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday or Singing River Hospital in Ocean Springs from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.