Updates on Efforts to Reduce Substance Abuse

Regular updates on substance abuse reduction efforts in the City of St. Louis.

  • Spring 2018 Drug Take Back programThe DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is on April 28, 2018 from 10 AM to 2 PM. This is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs. Participating in Take Back Day ensures that your unused prescription drugs do not fall into the wrong hands due to improper or lack of disposal. For more information, and to locate a collection site near you, visit https://takebackday.dea.gov/
     

  • Our one-time only, free mass registration for the St. Louis County Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) in which the City of St. Louis participates as a charter member is now open for all healthcare system prescribers as well as dispensers! There is no minimum number or limit on the number of providers who can register this way. This assists the healthcare system to ensure all of their providers have access to the PDMP and removes the burden of registration from each individual healthcare provider. The deadline for healthcare organizations to mass register all of their providers is April 20, 2018. For more information, click here. For instructions on mass registration, click here or contact anandappam@stlouis-mo.gov.
     

  • On April 5, the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H., urged more Americans to carry the lifesaving medication, naloxone, which can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, is already carried by many first responders, but the Surgeon General is now recommending that more individuals, including family, friends, and those who are personally at risk for an opioid overdose, also keep the drug on hand. To obtain free Narcan, contact the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA) at:  http://ncada-stl.org/get-involved/opioid-overdose-prevention/.  You can also contact the Missouri Network for Opiate Reform and Recovery at:  (844) 732-3587 or send an email request to chad@monetwork.org to schedule an appointment (walk ins also welcome at 4022 S. Broadway).   Narcan may be purchased at your pharmacy without a prescription.  Ask your pharmacist for use instructions.  
     

  • Gabapentin, sold under the name brands Neurontin, Gralise, and Horizant, is a non-opioid drug used for chronic pain, shingles, and seizure control that is being viewed as an emerging threat. Although gabapentin alone will not stop an individual’s heart or prevent them from breathing, it increases the danger of opioid overdose death when taken in conjunction with fentanyl, heroin or other opioids. 

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