National Safety Dose Day is observed annually every May 15. It aims to call attention to the importance of taking prescription medication responsibly to avoid health risks like addiction or even death. Many people see their doctor for drugs that give pain relief, and about 20% of them will be prescribed an opioid or narcotic. Unfortunately, opioids are being overprescribed. Adults who have been prescribed opioids by doctors become addicted or move on to more dangerous drugs like heroin. Opioid poisoning has now overtaken car crashes as the number one cause of accidental death in the United States. Between 1999 and 2019, nearly 500,000 people died of opioid overdose.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL SAFETY DOSE DAY

1.     Clean out your medicine cabinet

Do an inventory of the contents of your medicine drawer or first aid kit. Replace old prescriptions with updated ones. Check the expiry dates and throw away expired medications.

2.     Buy a pill organizer

If you have trouble remembering to take your daily medicine, invest in a pill case with several compartments. You can store your scheduled doses of medications in one convenient place.

3.     Start a healthy pill habit

Talk to your doctor and find out what multivitamin or supplement you can take to improve your health and well-being. Form a routine of taking it and make sure it is the advised amount.

5 NEGATIVE FACTS ABOUT PAINKILLERS

1.       They don’t work well against long-term pain

For short-term usage to combat pain from surgery, for example, opioid medications work well.

2.       Dangers of an old prescription or pills

If you took a high dose of pills in the past, stopped, then decided to take the same dose now, you could accidentally overdose on your prescription.

3.       Alcohol and painkillers are a dangerous combination

Both can make you feel drowsy and can render you doubly impaired.

4.       They can be addictive

Many people become dependent on prescription pain pills even if the drugs are negatively affecting them mentally or physically.

5.       Short-acting drugs are safer

There’s no evidence that long-acting drugs are less addictive, but they are more likely to cause an overdose even with recommended doses.

WHY NATIONAL SAFETY DOSE DAY IS IMPORTANT

1.     It encourages us to be mindful

There’s a pill for almost everything these days. We should still remember not to abuse these medicines and listen to our doctors to be safe.

2.     It can break bad habits

If you’re the type who keeps and uses old prescriptions, or worse, tends to take a relative or a friend’s pills, this is a day for turning over a new leaf. Break your bad habits, starting today.

3.     It creates awareness

People can be addicted to pills without them realizing it. This day reminds us of the negative effects of abusing and misusing prescriptions.