Patients double safe disposal of unused opioids when provided Deterra drug disposal bags

Providing patients with Deterra® Pouches doubled the percentage of those who safely deactivated and disposed of leftover opioids after surgery, according to a new study by Michigan Medicine and published in JAMA Surgery. A randomized trial shows that providing patients with special disposal bags doubled the odds they would safely dump their leftover opioid pain medicine.

Many surgery patients head home from the hospital with opioid pain medicine prescriptions, and most will have pills left over after they finish recovering from their procedures. Now, a new study suggests patients should also leave the hospital with something to help them safely get rid of those leftovers — and keep the potentially addictive pills from being misused or polluting the environment.