Overdose Prevention

Overdose Prevention in Mississippi

Everyone in Mississippi can work together to help lower the incidence of both lethal and non-lethal overdoses. Knowledge is power, so use the following strategies to help Make Mississippi OD Free.

Take back your old or unused prescription medications.

Many prescription medications can be dangerous, especially when consumed by children or teens. The best way to protect them from an accidental overdose on these drugs is to keep the medications out of reach. Consult with your physician with regard to your active prescriptions, and keep them in a safe place if advised. Meanwhile, find out how you can safely dispose of prescribed medications that are either expired or that you no longer take.

Take it as prescribed, or take it back! Click here to learn more.

Know what you’re taking.

Heed your physician’s advice when it comes to proper dosage of any prescribed medication, especially when it comes to painkillers and opioids—and never take more than the amount prescribed unless specifically advised by your doctor.

Know the data.

Overdoses are more common than you think. Visit our Mississippi Data page to explore the numbers and help loved ones steer clear of falling victim to alarming trends.

KNOW THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH ILLEGAL DRUGS.

Many drugs are against the law to distribute and consume because our elected lawmakers have determined that they are extremely unsafe, either for children or adults—or both. Increasingly, the opioid fentanyl is being found in all types of illicit drugs. In these cases, fentanyl can become a deadly poison. In addition to being against the law, such illegal drugs could lead to an overdose and even death. So it’s best to avoid them altogether.

Explore the drugs most commonly associated with overdoses.

KNOW it’s your prescription—not someones else’s.

Doctors prescribe medications to their patients based on a wide variety of individual circumstances and conditions. These medications can vary in strength (often indicated by milligrams) and their effects can be different depending on a person’s susceptibility to side effects. That means that some prescriptions—opioids chief among them—can have extremely negative effects on anyone other than the person they are prescribed for, especially children and teens. So never take medication prescribed for another person, and always consult with a doctor before taking any unfamiliar medication or taking more than the label prescribes.

DID YOU KNOW? It is against Mississippi law to take any prescription medication that has been prescribed for another person.

Beware of taking medications illegally to improve your mood or suppress negative emotions without guidance from a prescribing physician.

Those who struggle with substance abuse often do so because they’re unhappy or uncomfortable with some aspect of their lives or daily challenges. While some prescribed medications may help us all better reconcile our emotional lives, many are also addictive and can contribute to making our lives unmanageable.

Are you struggling with substance abuse?

If you’re struggling with some form of general unhappiness, outbursts of anger, excessive consumption of alcohol, or any other issue that makes your life seem harder than it should be—please consult your physician or seek out a counselor or someone trained to help people improve their mental health. Confide in friends or family, and rest assured that you are not alone. Life is a series of hard days for everybody, no matter their job or family situation, no matter how rich or poor. The good news is—we all have the power to help one another. Visit our Treatment page for more on this topic.