Timer cap could help deter opioid abuse

According to the Centers for Disease Control, both prescription and non-prescription opioids are the biggest factor in drug-related overdose deaths. But one company says they have developed a product that can help deter opioid abuse.

Posted 10:14 p.m. Sep 6, 2017 — Updated 11:19 p.m. Sep 6, 2017

RALEIGH, N.C. — According to the Centers for Disease Control, both prescription and non-prescription opioids are the biggest factor in drug-related overdose deaths. But one company says they have developed a product that can help deter opioid abuse.

Dustin Edge, a CVS Pharmacy supervisor, said a timer cap, a piece of technology that operates similar to a stop watch, can help.

"If there is some kind of opioid abuse potential, then, it can give you that peace of mind knowing when that cap was last opened," he said.

Anytime the timer cap, or special lid, is opened, it resets the clock.

While Edge said the product will not deter a full-blown opioid abuser from taking the pills, it will discourage initial curiosity.

"It could be a deterrent for somebody that knows that the timer is going to start counting up as soon as that lid has been put back on," Edge said.

The product has become so popular that CVS decided to stock their shelves 6 months ago.

"With a big store, it may be like a needle in a haystack, but it’s very easy to find near the pharmacy area," Edge said. "We keep it with the weekly pill trays, and it’s a product that you can just pick right off the shelf with no prescription needed, and you can go ahead and replace your prescription bottle that you’ve gotten from your pharmacy with it.”

A three-pack of timer caps will cost about $10. Pharmacists say that each one will last about a year.

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