DEA Warns of Deadly Fake Pills

November 2, 2021November 2, 2021 aneal Drugs, Prescription Drugs, Substance Use, Trends

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seized more than 9.5 million deadly fake pills so far in 2021, according to a September public safety alert. These pills are manufactured by criminal networks and sold illegally on the black market, often through social media and online stores. These fake pills are made to look like prescription opioids, such as Oxycontin® or Vicodin®; or stimulants, like Adderall®. However, these counterfeits often secretly contain powerful drugs like fentanyl or methamphetamine.

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In this picture, there appear to be two 30mg oxycodone pills. But one of the pills is a fake, and could easily contain fentanyl instead of effective medicine. Without a lab test, it would be nearly impossible to tell which of these pills is safe and which might kill you. One of these pills is clearly a different color than the other, but this is just an example. Medicine comes with all different sizes, colors, shapes, and imprints. Some fake pills might look exactly like the real thing, yet they may contain fentanyl without the buyer knowing.

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Fentanyl is a powerful opioid, about 100 times stronger than morphine. Because fentanyl is so potent, a dose of only 2mg is considered deadly. A deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a number 2 pencil, as shown in this picture.

The DEA recently reported that the number of fake pills with fentanyl they have seized has increased by nearly 430% since 2019. Of those fake pills containing fentanyl, DEA lab testing showed that 2 out of every 5 pills contained a deadly dose of fentanyl (Source: DEA Fact Sheet Sept 2021: www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/DEA_Fact_Sheet-Counterfeit_Pills.pdf).

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If you are not sure where a pill came from, do not rely on your eyes to tell if it is authentic and safe. The only way to be sure a pill is legitimate is if it was obtained from a licensed medical professional. Whether you fill your prescriptions at a physical or online pharmacy, you can ensure your medicine is safe by checking their license from the state Board of Pharmacy. You can find out more about the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, and look up pharmacist licenses, by visiting www.dhp.virginia.gov/pharmacy/.

RAYSAC sponsors several permanent drug drop boxes that can be found all across the Roanoke Valley. If you want to get rid of any drugs, whether they came from a safe, licensed source or not, you can find the nearest permanent drop box at www.takethemback.org.

For more information about counterfeit pills, including the DEA public safety alert, fact sheet, and images mentioned here, visit www.dea.gov/onepill.

To learn more about how the FDA ensures the safety of the country’s drug supply chain, visit www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/drug-supply-chain-integrity.

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OPIOIDS IN THE MEDIA

June 13, 2019October 1, 2021 aneal Drugs, Healthy Behaviors, Prescription Drugs

The rate of overdoses related to prescription painkillers and other opioids within the U.S has increased over the past two decades; where an average of 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose each day.¹ The term ‘opioid’ is becoming an everyday term heard on a multitude of media platforms. It is seen and heard on the news, social media, and in our music on a regular basis. Blame for this epidemic is being placed on many different institutions including the government and pharmaceutical companies. But the question is how is the media’s influence affecting our communities and perceptions?

Stigma is a topic of discussion that is commonly associated with the opioid epidemic. The news outlets tend to paint a picture of opioid abusers and make it hard for individuals suffering to seek out help. One article stated that, “more that 80% of stories included a depiction of a single opioid abuser, with two-thirds painting a portrait of a person involved in a criminal activity”.⁴ This accusation makes it difficult for the public to see that this epidemic is affecting every population and not just convicted criminals.

Social media is known to be a source for updating users on news, allowing for open discussion, and for talking about observations and feelings. One study was able to conclude that the opioid epidemic is talked about online in a variety of topics, including ‘how to abuse opioids’. This was followed by the social impact of opioid abuse and then opioid withdrawal. It also concluded that anonymous accounts are used most for one-time posting which may contain sensitive information specific to the user.³ This indicated that there is still a sense of shame and stigma surrounding opioid use.

Music is another media outlet that has the ability to connect topics to a wide range of people. It can serve as an outlet for people to escape their world. But substance use and abuse can be seen through many genres. A 30 year study was able to conclude that the mention of opioid drugs and medications emerged in the late 1990s. Since then, 57.1% of opioid-referencing songs mention opioid medication and not heroin or street slang². As more and more lyrics contain the use of opioids the question remains; how is this affecting our youth?

Media is influential and all need to be careful and pay attention to how it affects them. Parents should continue to monitor what your child is reading, watching, and/or listening too. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months.

References:

1. AAMC. (2019). Responding to the opioids epidemic through education, Association of American Medical Colleges. 14 May 2019. https://news.aamc.org/for-the-media/article/medical-schools-address-opioid-epidemic/

2. Hamba, C., Hanba, D., (2018). Opioid drug prevalence in top 40’s music: a 30 year review. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. September 2018, 31(5) 761-767. https://www.jabfm.org/content/31/5/761.short

3. Pandrekar, S., Chen, X., Gopalkrishna, G., Srivastava, A., Saltz, M., Saltz, J., & Wang, F. (2018). Social Media Based Analysis of Opioid Epidemic Using Reddit. AMIA. Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium, December 2018, 867–876. https://ww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6371364/

4. Pharmacy times. (2016). How the media frames opioid abuse. Pharmacy Times. 10 January 2016. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/how-the-media-frames-opioid-abuse

‘Tis the Season… for Holiday Stress

November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 aneal Alcohol, Drugs, Healthy Behaviors, Life, Mental Health, Prescription Drugs, social media, Uncategorized Leave a comment

The holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends but they can also be highly stressful. Managing the increase in shopping, travel, children’s activities and other obligations this time of year can be very helpful in reducing stress and allowing you and your family to enjoy the holidays.

1. Take control. You might not be able to control everything on your holiday to-do list but you can control how you react to them. For example, instead of getting worked up during holiday traffic, use the time in your car to listen to a book on tape.
2. Unload and learn to say “no.” If there are holiday tasks that you just can’t or don’t want to do, let them go – if you can. Also, don’t commit to new things just because you feel you have to. Learning to say “no” may take some practice and might feel uncomfortable at first, but taking on too much can be more stressful than “passing” on a request in the first place.
3. Choose holiday activities that you can do as a family and are fun for everyone. It’s okay to stop doing activities that members of your family no longer enjoy. If you start a new tradition and it doesn’t go well, do something different the next year.
4. Maintain your children’s bedtime routine. Even during the holidays, keeping the daily bedtime routines will ensure you and your children are well-rested.
5. Delegate. Let each family member be responsible for cleaning/decorating a room. Create a “job jar” with everyone taking a turn choosing what his or her job will be. Be sure to make your expectations clear to your children and consider lowering your standards a little bit. Your home doesn’t have to look perfect to be welcoming and your children will be proud of their contribution to the holiday celebration.
6. Be realistic about relatives. Don’t try to solve past family issues over the holidays and use discretion instead of bringing up every little irritation. If going to a relative’s house every year causes a lot of stress, decide if you really need to do it. Maybe you can go every other year instead.
7. Create a budget and stick to it. Managing your money during the holidays doesn’t have to add extra stress. Budget how much you want to spend on gifts, food and the household during the holidays and stick to that amount.
8. Don’t give in to the “Gimmes.” The familiar phrase of, “I want, I want!” can wear parents down over the holidays, but giving in to your child’s every request can cause financial distress. It’s okay to tell your child that a gift is too expensive and that even Santa Claus has limited funds. Another way to fight the commercialism of the holidays is to start traditions that don’t cost any extra money. Bake cookies, go caroling, give to needy families or volunteer.
9. Set limits for college kids. A college student home for the holidays can wreak havoc on family routines. Your teen has been on his or her own and doing things very differently for months, so you’ll need to set some ground rules in advance. Everyone’s going to have to compromise during the visit so it’s important that parents and kids be respectful of each other.
10. Set aside time for yourself. One of the best things you can do for your family is to take care of yourself. Whether it is exercising, meditating, reading a book, enjoying coffee with a friend or simply going to bed at a reasonable time, it’s important to de-stress yourself during the holidays. Prioritizing obligations and setting limits and boundaries about how you spend your time will not only save you some unnecessary stress this holiday season, it will teach your children a valuable lesson about what is important to your family.