Drug take back day is Saturday, April 27, 2024. There are several collection locations throughout the area:
Prescription Drug Disposal
Disposal in Household Trash
If no medicine take-back programs or DEAauthorized collectors are available in your area, and there are no specific disposal instructions on the label, such as flushing as described below, you can also follow these simple steps to dispose of most medicines in the household trash:
1. Mix medicines (do not crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee
grounds;
2. Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag
3. Throw the container in your household trash;
4. Scratch out all personal information on the prescription label of your empty pill bottle or empty medicine packaging to make it unreadable, then dispose of the container.
Flushing of Certain Medicines
A small number of medicines may be especially harmful and, in some cases, fatal with just one dose if they are used by someone other than the person for whom the medicine was prescribed. To prevent accidental exposure to, including ingestion of, these potentially dangerous medicines by children and others, including pets, it is recommended that these medicines be disposed of quickly through a medicine take-back program or by transferring them to a DEA-authorized collector. If these disposal options
are not readily available, it is recommended that these medicines be flushed down the toilet as soon as they are no longer needed. For more information on which medicines are safe to flush down the toilet, check out the FDA’s website (see the Source below).
Source: https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/EnsuringSafeUseofMedicine/SafeDisposalofMedicines/ucm186187.htm
Safeguarding prescription medicine properly is easy once you know what to do, and it’s important for the health and safety of your family and others who come into your home.
If medicine is not stored properly, there can be serious consequences:
• The medicine may get into the wrong hands if a family member or visitor takes it without your knowledge. They may use it incorrectly to try to treat a medical condition — or worse, they may abuse it.
• Heat, humidity, or changes in temperature may damage the medicine.1
• Children or pets may be accidentally poisoned by ingesting easily accessible medicine.
If you have prescription medicine in your home, it is your responsibility to properly safeguard and dispose of it. Here are some general rules to follow:
The Do’s and Don’ts of Safe Medicine Storage
✓ DO ask your community pharmacist if any of the medicine you have been prescribed may have the potential for abuse.
✓ DO lock up medicine that is at risk for being abused in a cabinet, drawer, or medicine safe.
✓ DO keep medicine in a cool, dry place that is out of the reach of children.
✓ DO store medicine in its original container — the label on the bottle provides important information about the medicine.
✓ DO keep an updated list of all prescription medicine in your home. Take an inventory at least twice a year — when clocks ‘spring’ forward in the spring and ‘fall’ back in autumn, for example.
✓ DO talk to your community pharmacist about how to properly dispose of unused or unwanted medicine. Additionally, you can access disposal information online at www.fda.gov by searching for “Rx drug disposal.”
DON’T leave medicine in places that are easily accessible to children or pets.
DON’T store medicine in a bathroom medicine cabinet where humidity and temperature changes can cause damage.1
DON’T share prescription medicine. Healthcare professionals prescribe specific medicine for individuals based on personal medical histories and other health factors. A medicine that works for one person may cause harm — even death —to someone else, even if symptoms are similar.
DON’T take medicine in front of children who often mimic adults.
1. Vorvick, L. Storing your medicines, National Institutes of Health, Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, Updated May 11, 2014. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000534.htm. Accessed February 18, 2015.
Source: http://www.safeguardmymeds.org/how-to-safeguard-your-prescription-meds/
