CHICAGO (AP) – Surgery patients often end up with leftover opioid painkillers and store the remaining pills improperly at home, a study suggests.
The research raises concerns about overprescribing addictive medicine that could end in the wrong hands.
Uncertainty among doctors about how much medicine patients really need after common operations contributes to the problem. Many patients also don’t know how to safely get rid of unused medications, said lead researcher Dr. Mark Bicket, a Johns Hopkins anesthesiologist.
Here are some key things to know:
THE FINDINGS