National Safety Council - Safety at Home & at Work
Opioid Addiction that impacts the workplace often starts with legitimate medical prescription. Doctors prescribe opioid medication to treat pain and sometimes for other health problems such as severe coughing. The medication comes in a pill, a liquid, or a wafer. It also comes in a patch worn on the skin.
Examples of prescribed opioid medications include:
• Codeine—an ingredient in some cough syrups and in one Tylenol® product
• Hydrocodone—Vicodin®, Lortab®, or Lorcet®
• Oxycodone—Percocet®, OxyContin®, or Percodan®
• Hydromorphone—Dilaudid®
• Morphine—MSContin®, MSIR®, Avinza®, or Kadian® Propoxyphene—Darvocet® or Darvon®
• Fentanyl—Duragesic®
• Methadone.
The following resources discuss best practices for handling opioid prescriptions at home, how to have conversations about proper use and controlled access with family members and information on proper disposal of remaining medication.