Practicing Safe Storage and Disposal Can Help Prevent Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse

Did you know that more than half of those who misused prescription opioids in the past year obtained them from a friend or relative? Prescription opioid misuse and abuse can start in the home, so practicing safe storage and disposal is key to ensuring that these medicines do not end up in the wrong hands.

Allied Against Opioid Abuse (AAOA) is a national education and awareness initiative helping to prevent the abuse and misuse of prescription opioids. Founded by stakeholders across the healthcare and public health communities, AAOA aims to fill in the education gap and raise awareness of the rights, risks and responsibilities associated with prescription opioids, including ways to safely store and dispose of these medicines.

Safe Storage

Pain is a common medical issue. If you and your healthcare provider agree on a treatment plan that includes prescription opioids, take the following steps to safely store these medications:

• Store opioid prescriptions to the original packaging.
• Secure opioids in a locked cabinet or lockbox (do not store in an unlocked medicine cabinet or on the kitchen counter).
• Monitor your medicine and know how many pills you have left.
• Keep medicines out of reach of young children.
• Safe Disposal