Since 2010, opioid overdose-related deaths have rapidly increased in Georgia. This is largely driven by the increased use and misuse of prescription opioids such as Oxycodone and Hydrocodone, as well as the abuse of illegal opioids like heroin and fentanyl. Click here to see a data sheet on opioid use in Georgia.
To decrease the risk of opioid dependency or abuse, you can dispose of your prescription drugs at a location near you.
Georgia Department of Public Health Drug Surveillance Unit
The Drug Surveillance Unit monitors overdose trends in Georgia and provides overdose data to the public and to partners working to end the opioid epidemic. This data is also used to detect and respond to rapid increases, or clusters, of overdoses, such as the Counterfeit Percocet-Related Overdose Cluster in Macon during June 2017.
The Georgia Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
The Georgia PDMP is an electronic database used to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances. The PDMP can help eliminate duplicative prescribing and overprescribing of controlled substances and provide a prescriber or pharmacist with critical information regarding a patient’s controlled substance prescription history and protect patients at risk of abuse.