Dose of Action: Prescription Drugs, Help or Harm? | April Rovero | TEDxDoughertyValleyHS
Summary
TLDRThe speaker addresses the critical issue of prescription drug abuse and safety, highlighting the tragic consequences with the loss of a 21-year-old to an accidental overdose. The talk emphasizes the dangers of recreational use and misuse, noting that prescription drug overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental death, surpassing car accidents. The presentation calls for education, safe medication storage and disposal, and breaking the stigma around addiction as a health issue. It also encourages seeking help and knowing the signs of overdose, promoting the use of naloxone and the importance of asking questions about medication side effects and addictive potential.
Takeaways
- 💊 The speaker discusses the serious issue of prescription drug abuse and the importance of prescription drug safety, highlighting the potential dangers of taking medications recreationally or as prescribed.
- 🕊️ The tragic loss of a young man named Joey to an accidental overdose of prescription medication serves as a poignant reminder of the real-life consequences of prescription drug abuse.
- 📰 Prescription drug abuse has been a prominent issue in the news, particularly concerning painkillers, which have become the leading cause of accidental death, surpassing car accidents.
- 📊 Over 70,000 people lost their lives in 2017 due to drug overdoses, with over 40,000 of those deaths involving prescription painkillers or their illegal equivalents like heroin and fentanyl.
- 🏥 There is a common misconception that if a medication is prescribed by a doctor, it must be safe, but the speaker emphasizes the importance of considering underlying medical conditions and potential interactions.
- 🚔 The speaker mentions the societal impact of prescription drug abuse, including the rise in car break-ins and thefts to obtain medications.
- 👨🏫 The importance of educating youth and adults in the community about the dangers of prescription drug abuse is stressed, as prevention is key.
- 🚫 The speaker challenges the audience to look at their own medicine cabinets, dispose of expired medications properly, and lock up medications to prevent access by others.
- 🆘 The Good Samaritan law is mentioned, which protects individuals from prosecution if they seek help for someone overdosing, emphasizing the importance of calling for help in such situations.
- 💉 Naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, is now available over the counter in California, and the speaker encourages the audience to consider getting a kit.
- ❓ The speaker encourages the audience to ask doctors about the side effects and potential for addiction of any prescribed medication and to seek alternative treatments if necessary.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the speech?
-The main topic of the speech is prescription drug abuse and prescription drug safety, focusing on the potential dangers of taking medication recreationally or as prescribed.
What is the tragic incident mentioned in the script that highlights the seriousness of prescription drug abuse?
-The tragic incident mentioned is the accidental overdose death of a 21-year-old college student named Santos John Rivera, also known as Joey the third, on December 18, 2009.
According to the script, what has become the leading cause of accidental death in the United States?
-Prescription drug overdoses have become the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, surpassing car accidents.
How many lives were reportedly lost to drug overdoses in the year mentioned in the script?
-Over 70,000 people lost their lives to drug overdoses in the year 2017, as mentioned in the script.
What is the common misconception about prescription drugs that the speaker wants to address?
-The common misconception is that if a doctor prescribes a medication, it must be safe and not harmful, which is not always the case, especially when combined with other substances or underlying medical conditions.
What is the 'Good Samaritan law' mentioned in the script, and why is it important?
-The 'Good Samaritan law' mentioned in the script provides legal protection for individuals who seek help for someone experiencing an overdose, ensuring that they will not be prosecuted for drug possession or being under the influence themselves.
What is the speaker's challenge to the audience regarding their own medicine cabinets?
-The speaker challenges the audience to check their medicine cabinets for expired or unused medications, urging them to lock up and dispose of these medications properly to prevent misuse.
What is the role of 'naloxone' in addressing the opioid crisis mentioned in the script?
-Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It is now available over the counter in some places, and the speaker encourages people to have it on hand in case of an emergency.
What advice does the speaker give regarding interactions with healthcare providers about medications?
-The speaker advises the audience to ask healthcare providers about the side effects of medications, their potential for addiction, and to inquire about alternative treatments if there is a family history of addiction or other risk factors.
What is the importance of breaking the stigma associated with addiction as mentioned in the script?
-Breaking the stigma associated with addiction is important because it encourages individuals to seek help and treatment without fear of judgment or shame, and it also helps in increasing the availability of treatment facilities.
What is the significance of the 24/7 hotline mentioned in the script for those seeking treatment?
-The 24/7 hotline is significant as it provides a readily accessible resource for individuals to find immediate help and locate treatment services in their area, potentially saving lives by facilitating timely intervention.
Outlines
💊 Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness
The speaker introduces the topic of prescription drug abuse and safety, highlighting the dual nature of prescription drugs as both life-saving and potentially dangerous when misused. The tragic loss of a young man to an accidental overdose serves as a poignant reminder of the seriousness of the issue. The speaker emphasizes the rise in overdose deaths, surpassing car accidents, and the significant number of lives lost to opioid abuse. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for education and awareness to prevent such tragedies.
🏥 Misconceptions and the Reality of Medication Dangers
This paragraph delves into the common misconception that prescription drugs are safe simply because they are prescribed by a doctor. The speaker discusses the potential for harm when medications are taken without considering underlying medical conditions or when combined with other substances. The paragraph also touches on the societal impact of prescription drug abuse, including the rise in theft and the importance of education for all community members. The speaker stresses the need to challenge the perception of prescription drugs as harmless and to promote safe usage and disposal practices.
🚨 The Stigma of Addiction and the Importance of Treatment
The speaker addresses the stigma associated with addiction, emphasizing that it is a health issue, not a moral failing. They discuss the barriers to treatment, including the lack of available facilities and the reluctance of individuals to seek help due to societal judgment. The paragraph calls for a change in perception, encouraging individuals to view addiction as a health condition that requires medical intervention. The speaker also provides practical advice on safe medication storage and disposal, as well as the importance of recognizing the signs of overdose and knowing how to respond.
🤔 Questions to Ask and Resources for Help
In the final paragraph, the speaker encourages individuals to ask questions about the medications they are prescribed, including potential side effects and addictive qualities. They highlight the importance of considering family history and alternative treatments for issues such as anxiety and sleep disorders. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for early identification of addiction or dependence and the provision of a hotline number for those seeking treatment. The speaker also offers to provide educational resources and presentations to schools and community groups to further raise awareness and understanding of prescription drug abuse.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Prescription Drug Abuse
💡Prescription Drug Safety
💡Oxycodone
💡Accidental Overdose
💡Painkillers
💡Stigma
💡Treatment Facilities
💡Medicine Cabinets
💡Good Samaritan Law
💡Naloxone
💡Addiction
Highlights
The presenter will cover the topic of prescription drug abuse and safety, emphasizing the potential dangers of taking medication recreationally or as prescribed.
The tragic loss of a 21-year-old, Joey, to an accidental overdose of prescription medication serves as a real-life example of the dangers discussed.
Prescription drug abuse has been in the news, particularly due to painkillers being the leading cause of accidental death, surpassing car accidents.
Over 70,000 people lost their lives in 2017 due to drug overdoses, with over 40,000 of those involving prescribed painkillers or their illegal equivalents.
The presenter challenges the common misconception that if a doctor prescribes a medication, it must be safe, highlighting the risks of underlying medical conditions.
The importance of education on prescription drug abuse for all youth and adults in the community is stressed to prevent the problem from escalating.
The presenter discusses the financial cost of prescription drug abuse in the northern US and the need for increased treatment facilities.
A call to action for attendees to check their medicine cabinets for expired or unused medications and to dispose of them properly.
The introduction of a Good Samaritan law that protects those who call for help in case of an overdose, encouraging people to act without fear of prosecution.
The availability of naloxone over the counter in California, allowing for easier access to a life-saving medication in the event of an overdose.
The presenter encourages attendees to ask doctors about the side effects and addictive potential of prescribed medications.
The need to challenge doctors to find alternative treatments for those with a family history of addiction or other risk factors.
A 24/7 hotline is provided for finding treatment in one's area, emphasizing the importance of seeking help as soon as addiction or dependence is identified.
The offer to speak at schools and other organizations to further educate communities about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
The presenter's commitment to breaking the stigma around addiction, treating it as a health issue rather than a moral failing.
The importance of understanding that addiction is not a choice but a health condition that requires proper treatment and support.
The presenter's final challenge to the audience to take an active role in educating themselves and others about prescription drug safety.
Transcripts
please welcome
[Applause]
so the topic that I'm going to cover
tonight is prescription drug abuse and
actually prescription drug safety as I
think we would all the donor
prescription drugs can absolutely be
literally a lifesaver there are certain
people that have medical conditions and
they really literally wouldn't be able
to live day to day without the
medications are they going to talk about
that what we're going to talk about are
the potential dangers that are inherent
in taking medication either
recreationally in some of our young
people and adults do or otherwise as
prescribed
either way they can be dangerous and
we're going to be talking about that so
why would it be interested in
prescription drug abuse two words would
would tell the story on that and they
were he's gone unfortunately we lost our
21 year old Santos that John Rivera also
known as Joey the third to an accidental
overdose of prescription meds while he
was a college student Arizona State
University on December 18 2009 Joey was
a graduate of polyphony here we went
through there were school high school or
a senior in college
we
[Music]
[Music]
it's like oxycodone which is a pain
killer and it's a little bit of alcohol
with that those combination works that's
on the tour to take is like after I want
to share with you that prescription drug
abuse has been in the news day or two in
particular the painkillers that are so
variable than prescribing overdoses now
the leading cause of accidental death
and that's shocking to me even still it
needs to be car accidents no longer
needs overdose deaths and as you can see
on this chart over 70,000 people lost
their lives this last year 2017 the last
year we heard of these four data to a
drug reduced overdose of whatever sort
but at the same time 40,000 over 40,000
of them were from polio exceed their
prescribed painkillers or their
equivalent which is the illegal drug
Spezia on the street all the time
heroin fentanyl departmental very
powerful opioids and whether they're you
know
Navy they are you typically next in our
my drug dealers with other kinds of
things Mike and which is so powerful in
terms of these connections those deaths
have been here it's not just somewhere
else every one of these people and I
have 650 or more photos from around the
country now photos to me so I could try
to get education out there in office
these are real people our losses and you
know there are no boundaries
we my trial is is an important student
will actually parade so where they're
buried in a bunch into sports and in
keeping with that I will tell you that
this them to necessarily those are
protective factors necessarily what
about the student adventurer gets into
the body
[Music]
dozen or maybe they have multiple
medications and the combinations don't
work well for them so anyone anyone
impacted by this
there's a common misconception we have
to break down so that sidered is a wall
right the perception is maybe a doctor
prescribes so they're not harmful how
could that be equal to all other
directions will be okay usually that's
the case but what if you have an
underlying medical condition they're
going to pay for so those are really the
casein totally picture haven't acted we
have people breaking into cars
you know actually perhaps they call them
get whatever you can enter the car door
sell it quickly in go buy the drugs the
director
[Music]
and it becomes a very difficult it's
easy to avoid we just don't get there in
the first place and that's quite
important on the very mention things
that we do which is for an education of
all youth and adults in the community
that we can touch directly one of those
can be helper tightening in the day in
our we are the problem that we run into
somebody who is impaired and the
financial cost for countries in the
northern us from this problem so the
drug that I want to make sure everybody
knows
if you can see what the facts are all of
these are our protector so don't think
of us annex for instance which we
understand is a drug that commonly where
we need a boost our high school college
campuses it's yours
and you know there's another drug
category is the History Month and
students are often abuse by our high
school students and college students if
you do not have an ADHD a condition that
these medications actually work well for
for some people
so you can see that you can get a big
turnover those two one little venture to
his confidence in some of our teens like
to join a lot of confidence and stuff
over the counter has alcohol in it if
you drink enough of it you can get a
little bit of a high if you drink the
coq10 is seven is described as coding in
it that's one of our senators and so
they can actually cost them a little bit
big problems as you can see here today
and we once it's typically powered
everywhere our teens and everyone really
needs to do we all need to understand
that their their cocaine so if
somebody's happier using that drug and
to maybe in it it showed me that there
all sorts of forms with those are so
convinced even looking that even the
experts done and the difference so we're
so they're gonna be able to tell the
difference
the big story here is first of all don't
be abuse in the illegal drugs
and there's something that's kind of
start out so please be careful in terms
[Music]
of the situation and it's because of
student that people don't necessarily go
out and give the treatment they don't
want to admit they have a problem they
don't want to knock results their family
what I want to say is we can break that
stigma all of us today today
individually can break that stigma don't
think of somebody with an addiction
problem is somebody that has a moral
thing and if they could just fix
themselves they would they make that
choice once you're addicted you really
don't have a big choice you know you
have these equally the choice of getting
cleaning treatment really hard decision
to me and it often even in treatment for
thirty days does not work come out easy
start using again immediately that
stigma causes us not to get the
treatment in the first place it also
results in the fact that we don't have
enough treatment facilities out there so
that wall has kept us from getting where
they need to need to consider this ISM
it is a health issue and just like
diabetes or any other health condition
we need to have treatment available
anyone who needs it in wants it so that
is a huge wall we also need to get those
medicine that our lives in Chemnitz my
challenge to you today is to go home and
take a look at what you've got in your
own medicine cabinets our medicines
expired are they just hanging there cuz
maybe I'll use them someday maybe that
painkiller be needed you know what you
can always get more than that please
lock the month if you need them and
dispose of it properly if you don't most
perfectly stations all of them already
have them Dennis that you can just walk
in front of your nest all the CVS has
happened and I think all threats will
happen in their their pharmacies soon -
it's easy to get rid of them do not wash
them because that is going to be harmful
to our environment
eventually that stuff makes its way to
our water system the other thing I've
learned early overdose scientists here's
a great example of them if you think
somebody is overdosing
please don't run young people we now
have a Good Samaritan law that says you
won't be prosecuted yourself even if
you're under the influence we need to
save life so make that call this is Anna
Watson rescue kid I would challenge all
of you to get a kit even if you don't
have a problem in your family
the matter at any other time we can be
walking around town when we can
encounter somebody that's overdosing had
somebody seen that young man yesterday
morning in his car and he was he was
with it was a possibility of turning
that overdose around have been companies
because they're now available in our
state of California over the counter and
any pharmacy that carries them we're
working on getting all of the Nick area
call in advance and to see if they carry
naloxone otherwise you can get it by
just getting a prescription from your
doctor that's also legal now to get
prescription to use that medication for
someone else asking questions when you
go see a doctor I also challenge it
please just ask what are the side
effects of this medication is it
attentively addictive if so in a minute
you know do I have a family history of
addiction if so you're more risk even if
not find out challenge your doctor to
find other alternatives for you and
there are those other alternatives and
here's an example of some of them issues
and anxiety or sleep issues so there is
help out there recovery as possible and
so the key is especially for young
people the sooner the media addiction
that it's starting to take hold or a
dependence is identified ask for help
and here's a great phone number
so 24/7 hotline that can be called to
find treatment in your area and if we
can also be contacted
we presented schools I ever had like to
recall classes all the time last week it
was it was definitely you know to or
justify Cal hi other classes in
different schools around the area if you
have a group that could use this
information that I share I'm happy to
come out and speak so at least you know
the information here it is the Communist
thank you very much appreciate you
listening
[Applause]
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