By: Ryan Duey
Arielle Kelly, Community Support Specialist with DCCCA, was the guest speaker at the Clay Center Lions Club meeting on March 11th. Kelly spoke about prescription medication safety and disposal.
During the presentation, Kelly touched on three important topics: Being your own health advocate, learning safe medication practices, and knowing the risk of medication misuse. Kelly said it’s important to use your pharmacist or doctor in your health journey, especially when it comes to understanding medications.
Kelly said it’s never good practice to self-medicate or stop a medication cold turkey without consulting a professional.
“It is important to follow the directions provided with your prescription medications, you only want to make changes after your doctor has recommended it. You never want to make changes on your own without seeking medical advice.”
“You never want to self-diagnose or self-medicate because that can be dangerous. For example, if you’re stopping an antibiotic therapy too soon, it could result in a more severe infection. And with a lot of medication, you need to wean yourself off of it.”
Kelly said that the local Police Department and most local pharmacies will dispose of unwanted medications. DCCCA also offers free resources to Kansas residents through their Preventative Program.
“DCCCA provides free home medication disposal bags. They are available in sizes small, medium, or large. We also offer free preventative training to Kansas residents as well. All you have to do is fill out a form on our website and get it for free.”
DCCCA also offers Fentanyl strips, Narcan, and training resources for free to citizens. To learn more about DCCCA and the preventative resources they offer, visit their website.
