Thousands of Dangerous Pills Taken Off Streets in ‘Take Back’ Program

  • Kern County Sheriff’s Senior Deputy Richard Garrett and McCASA’s Anne Weber with 14.5 pounds of pills from Medication Take Back Program.

    Kern County Sheriff’s Senior Deputy Richard Garrett and McCASA’s Anne Weber with 14.5 pounds of pills from Medication Take Back Program.

By Gary Meyer

If you never want to read of another drug emergency at the high school or about weekend party deaths and overdoses, you can be a part of the solution. An estimated 6,000 potentially lethal pills were received in just four hours at the first Medication Take Back Day at Frazier Park Market May 8.

Prescription medicines, unused over-the-counter drugs, and pet medications—yes, youth are also using pet meds as recreational drugs—were turned in by the first 15 people.

“Pharming Parties,” at which teens pass candy bowls of prescription meds—grabbing and swallowing unidentified pills obtained mostly from cupboards and medicine cabinets in local homes—have led to near fatal results recently.

Look through your home and bring all unused medications to the next Medication Take Back day, July 17, 10-2 p.m. at Frazier Park Market. Spread the word for others to join the effort. It takes only a few minutes to turn in your unwanted medications before you do your shopping.

McCASA—The Mountain Communities Coalition Against Substance Abuse is working with Kern County Sheriff’s Deputies on the project. The pharmaceuticals will be incinerated by a contractor in Los Angeles.

Drugs Collected by McCASA May 8

  1. Advil
  2. Alprazolam
  3. Amoxicillian
  4. Arthrotec
  5. Atenolol
  6. Baclofen
  7. Bayer Asprin
  8. Bene-Bac Animal Gel
  9. Bisacodyl
  10. Balance
  11. Cefuroxime Axetil
  12. Celebrex
  13. Cephalexin
  14. Cimetidine
  15. Clindamycin HCL
  16. Colestid Granules
  17. Cyclobenzaprine
  18. Cyclomen
  19. Detrol
  20. Diazepam
  21. Doxycycline Hyclate
  22. Dry Eye Relief
  23. Efudex
  24. Exidine
  25. Famotidine
  26. Ferrous Sulfate
  27. Fish Oil
  28. Fluorouracil
  29. Gabapentin
  30. Gemfibrozil
  31. Gentak Sol
  32. Hydrochlorothiazide
  33. Hydrocodine
  34. Hydrocodone
  35. Lantus
  36. Lidocain
  37. Lisinopril
  38. Lomotil
  39. Metoclopramide
  40. Mycocide
  41. Naproxen
  42. Nasonex
  43. Noroxin
  44. Oxybutynin Chloride
  45. Pioglitazone HCL
  46. Piroxicam
  47. Pravastatin
  48. Predisine
  49. Prednisolone
  50. Prilosec
  51. Promethazine Codeine
  52. Quinine Sulfate
  53. Relafen (Nabumetone)
  54. Reglan
  55. Spironolactone
  56. SSKI (Potassium Iodide)
  57. Sudafed PE
  58. Tazorac
  59. Tramadol
  60. Triamcinolone Acetonide
  61. Tylenol
  62. Uroxatral
  63. Ventolin Inhaler
  64. Zantac

 

This is part of the May 14, 2010 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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