According to a new national survey, one in three Americans didn’t know they were prescribed opioids, and most of them ended up with leftover pills.
The survey, from the National Safety Council, found that people didn’t know Percocet, Oxycontin, and Vicodin are opioids.
Debbie Hersman is President and CEO of the National Safety Council, which conducted the survey. She said not enough is being done to inform people of the dangers opioid prescriptions can pose.
“One in three Americans did not know the drugs they were prescribed were opioids. Have that conversation with your doctor, ask if you’re taking an opioid, ask for alternatives to opioids, particularly if you have addiction in your family. Alcoholism, smoking, or even depression.”
Hersman said patients need to be informed of the risks when taking opioids.
“Last year the Centers for Disease Control put out guidelines for chronic pain that people shouldn’t be receiving more than a 3 day supply of opioids. When we first surveyed we saw 99% of doctors prescribed beyond that amount and now that number is down to 70%.”
Hersman said it’s important to address the opioid crisis because opioid overdoses continue to rise.
“In Michigan, we saw fatalities jump 50% when it comes to opioid overdoses since 2014 and so in 873 were lost in 2015 to opioid overdoses. Nationwide last year we lost 22-thousand people.”
Hersman said the survey found nearly sixty percent of people end up with leftover opioid pills.
She says people need to inform themselves - but it’s also the responsibility of doctors to make sure patients are aware of what they are being prescribed.