OPIOID OVERDOSES
Last year, there were 28 opioid overdoses in Wakulla County (none fatal). Six months into 2023, there have already been 52 (none fatal), with most of those cases in people 60 and older.
Health officials educate on opioids at senior center
‘That’s why I was asked to come speak to you today.’
Lisa Sherry, community outreach coordinator at Disc Village, talks about opioids at the senior center last week.
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN Editor
Health officials held a special presentation on opioids at the Wakulla Senior Center last week because of concerns about the increasing number of overdoses by seniors.
Lisa Sherry, community outreach coordinator for Disc Village, led the presentation on , which covered the history of opioids and attempts at government regulation.
Also available were free Narcan and Naloxone kits that can reverse an overdose from opioids. All of the kits were given out to the seniors.
Sherry talked about how to dispose of medications, noting it is no longer considered appropriate to flush medications down the toilet. Instead, drug take-back sites (such as the sheriff’s office) are good, or you can mix opioids with used coffee grounds or kitty litter in a plastic bag and then throw in the garbage. Then scratch out personal information on the prescription bottles and dispose of them.
Sherry noted the dangers of fentanyl – a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. More than 150 die everyday from fentanyl overdose nationwide.
Sherry also provided fentanyl detection kits to seniors.
Opioids were first marketed in 1898 by the Bayer Company, Sherry noted. In 1914, the U.S. passed the Harrison Narcotic Act, which regulated opiates and coca products. Heroin was outlawed in 1924. The Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970 and created to regulate substances based on medical use, potential for abuse and dependence.
Sherry also noted the opiod epidemic of the past 20 years kicked off with Purdue Pharma began aggressively marketing oxycodone, which was supposed to have time-release qualities that prevent abuse – which turned out could be circumvented by crushing the tablets.
Sherry noted that some people can become addicted to opioids in as little as five days.
She suggested some alternatives for pain management without medication, including meditation, massage, and exercise.
“If people weren’t buying, they wouldn’t be selling... and people are buying because they’re in pain – either physical or emotional pain,” she said. “Both are valid.
“We can get through this together,” she told the seniors. “We just need to change behavior.”
