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Do you have a medicine cabinet full of expired medication and prescription drugs? Well, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the disposal of prescription medicines also demands the use of appropriate methods.
As the common conception goes that your medicine is for you and as it is beneficial to you, keeping prescription medications at home can be dangerous for children and can lead to accidental poisoning or misuse if they fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, the best prescription medicine disposal methods can ensure your and others’ safety. Learn proper medication disposal and safe drug disposal.
Proper Methods to Safely Dispose of Medication
Using the Household Trash
In most cases, medicines should not go into household trash unless no better take back options are available. Some examples include creams, drops, pills, and patches. However, did you know that not all of the medication is supposed to reach the trash cans or bags?
Here is a step-by-step guideline on how to dispose of unused or unwanted medications at home when take back options are unavailable, since almost all medicines can be handled this way if no better option exists. In many cases, over-the-counter medications can be disposed of the same way when no take-back option is available and there are no specific disposal instructions.
- Initially, if there are specific disposal instructions on the label, follow those first; otherwise, grab the medication from their containers to mix them with other household trash such as dirt or coffee grounds, or use an at-home disposal product with warm water before sealing. Inhalers and aerosol products should not be punctured or incinerated, and you should follow local regulations. Contact your local trash and recycling facility or recycling facility for guidance on those items. You should know that this would result in the drugs becoming nearly inseparable and less appealing to someone going through the trash in search of drugs.
- A resealable storage zipper bag or perhaps an empty can may allow you to enclose the mixture without the risk of leakage or spills.
- Then, you can dump the new container (whatever you chose) in the garbage.
To throw medication away safely, rip off prescription labels and personal information from the containers or medicine itself.
Flushing Prescription Medicine
Some medications should be flushed only if the label, FDA guidance, or other disposal instructions say to do so, as they may be extremely harmful if left in garbage disposals or household trash. If you no longer need prescription medication or it’s expired, you can sink it in the toilet or washbasin.
But how do you know that flushing them through the toilet into wastewater treatment plants and water lines will not cause further harm to the environment or a living being? You can try to stick with the recommended list of drugs and medications that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows for flush disposal. Also, check the label for specific disposal instructions.
The FDA of the United States is highly concerned about the flushing of specific medications as they affect the environment adversely. Despite there being no signs of noticeable damage to the environment through disposing of medications by flushing, FDA was keen to publish a paper regarding the concern
About Drugs Take-Back Programs and Medication Disposal Kiosks
A drug take back program is a preferred option for medication disposal of unused medications and unwanted medications. In fact, the DEA of the United States sponsors several drug take-back locations nationwide, and there are over 10,000 permanent drug disposal box locations nationwide, including National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
Moreover, locations exist nationwide that carry their own drug take-back programs. You can search for a said drug collector near you by contacting local law enforcement and drug officials. Pharmacies, including some retail pharmacies, also serve as collection locations where some people can drop unwanted or expired medications. Be sure to look for a permanent drug disposal box or drug disposal box the next time you visit places such as CVS Pharmacy, which has collected over five million pounds of unwanted medications since 2014. Select Walgreens pharmacies offer medication disposal kiosks during pharmacy hours. Some locations also let you mail back items, and some pharmacies provide prepaid drug mail-back envelopes or use mail options for disposal. Ask a pharmacist for additional information and additional resources on local locations and disposal instructions, since these options help protect families from misuse.
Conclusion
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Give us a call at (435) 740-8296 to schedule your first and hopefully your next appointments with Dr. Davis at our oral surgery office in St. George, Utah. Check out our official website to learn more about our full range of oral and maxillofacial procedures.
Reference Links:
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines
https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-10/Proper%20Disposal%20Flier%20%28October%202018%29.pdf
https://www.bemedwise.org/your-medicines-self-care/drug-storage-and-disposal/
https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/prevention/safely-dispose-drugs/index.html
https://consumer.georgia.gov/consumer-topics/disposal-prescription-drugs