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from the keep-away-from-prank-loving-children dept.
Walmart offers way to turn leftover opioids into useless gel
Walmart is helping customers get rid of leftover opioids by giving them packets that turn the addictive painkillers into a useless gel. The retail giant announced Wednesday that it will provide the packets free with opioid prescriptions filled at its 4,700 U.S. pharmacies.
The small packets, made by DisposeRX, contain a powder that is poured into prescription bottles. When mixed with warm water, the powder turns the pills into a biodegradable gel that can be thrown in the trash. It works on other prescription drugs and for pills, tablets, capsules, liquids or patches, according to DisposeRx.
[...] Some drugstore chains like CVS and Walgreens also collect unused medications at many of their stores. People can also take leftovers to hospital pharmacies or police stations. Unused prescriptions also can be thrown in the trash. But the Food and Drug Administration recommends mixing them first with something unpalatable like kitty litter or used coffee grounds and sealing the mixture in a plastic bag.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sjames on Friday January 19 2018, @05:57PM (5 children)
Not really. Pain is hard to predict and often depends on unknowable external factors. That's why so many pain meds say take every x hours as needed. Sometimes you don't need it.
People vary greatly in their tolerance to pain.
External factors include how easy/hard it is to get out of bed and to the bathroom. How bumpy the road is if you have to be driven somewhere, How quickly you heal is a big factor. If you've been told to get out of bed and move about but don't overdo it, your idea of what constitutes overdo will be a factor.
They really don't want to end up underprescribing a pain sensitive patient such that they lay in bed as still as possible (despite instructions to move about) in order to make the pain meds last.
(Score: 2) by beckett on Saturday January 20 2018, @10:52PM (4 children)
and pain meds can increase sensitivity and cause pain to even non-painful stimuli [pnas.org]
From the linked study: "Pain after disease/damage of the nervous system is predominantly treated with opioids, but without exploration of the long-term consequences. We demonstrate that a short course of morphine after nerve injury doubles the duration of neuropathic pain.".
People who self-administer pain medications even for a short term can prolong the feeling of pain possibly for weeks after taking them, which leads to them to self-medicate further. The reliance on pain meds, coupled with elevated tolerance of those meds over time creates a vicious cycle which can exacerbate dependence to the point where it becomes a disorder.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday January 21 2018, @05:13AM (3 children)
Yes, opoids aren't a panacea. Fortunately, the very same article identifies a new drug that completely reverses the effect of using opoids for pain associated with nerve damage. In the mean while, perhaps gabapentin is a better choice for nerve damage.
But that is really orthogonal to the point of my post.
(Score: 2) by beckett on Sunday January 21 2018, @05:45AM (2 children)
on the contrary, when you're talking about adjusting self-administered pain medication for pain, my post provides the context that the pain response and pain perception is affected by the drugs being self administered. it is an integral concept to pain management.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday January 21 2018, @05:33PM (1 child)
But I was talking about why DOCTORS sometimes seem to over-PRESCRIBE pain medication. So like I said, your post is really orthogonal to my post.
But to address the point of short term use of left-over medication for acute pain, it does suggest taking an NSAID concurrently if it's not already in the pills.
(Score: 2) by beckett on Monday January 22 2018, @02:25AM
Doctors prescribe pain medication based on patient history and examination. Pain is self reported by the patient. It's absolutely integral to pain management to be aware that the analgesic can sometimes increase the sensation of pain.