How Should You Dispose of Your Medications Safely?

As time passes, the effectiveness of medications decreases, and it may not be as effective as it was when you take them. Hence, if your house’s cabinets and drawers are filled with unused or expired medications, then maybe it’s time to do some house cleaning.

If these meds are taken, they can do more harm than good, and you may even earn a trip to the hospital. That said, disposing of them before they are taken accidentally is important, but how? Luckily, there are several other options for you to dispose of them safely other than flushing them down the toilet.

Why Should You Dispose of them Properly?

Keeping medicines when they are longer needed does pose a threat to you and your family members, especially if you have kids. However, even though they are in a child-resistant container, it doesn’t mean that they are safe from the children that managed to get ahold of them.

Kids are creative, and they will find a way. If you bought them with a prescriptions discount app and they came in a box, you might want to make sure those boxes are tightly sealed, especially if you’re not planning on opening them just yet.

Poisoning due to expired medication cases involves young adults, teenagers, and children under six years old, according to a study back in 2019 by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. So, even though a small number of medications directly pose a threat to somebody’s life other than the person the medicine is intended to, it’s still important to keep them away from others.

Another concern that experts have is the environmental effects of disposing of your medicines improperly. For example, residues of birth control pills, painkillers, antidepressants, and other medications can be found in the water supply, albeit in small traces. Still, they are a concern and should be taken seriously.

The water will then be taken to a sewage treatment plant and flushed back into the rivers, where they will leech underground. The effects of this are still unknown to experts conducting experiments on the said matter. However, the point is clear that proper medication disposal is important and should be taken seriously. But how do you dispose of your medications properly?

Trash Bins

Nearly all types of medications can be put in a trashcan to be taken away. The types of medicine include pills, inhalers, patches, creams, and drops. However, there is a right way for you to do this. FDA recommends the following:

1. Remove the contents of the original containers and mix the medicine with something undesirable like dirt. This way, children and animals will less likely be able to see or take them. This is also good to avoid people who are intentionally looking for them in the trash.
2. You can then put the mixture into a sealable and tight container.
3. Throw the container containing the mixture in the trash can.
4. To properly throw away the original prescription containers in the trash, you must remove all personal information on their labels to protect your identity and privacy. Put them in the trash.

Flushing

This is the most popular method of disposing of your medication, but as mentioned before, there are steps that you should know and follow before you do so. There are medicines out there that have proper instructions written on the back label on how to properly flush them down the toilet or sink.

This is especially important if there are no drug take-back options available nearby. Also, a list you can see on the internet determines if a medicine is safe to be flushed down the drain. If you’re unsure if your medication falls under the category, you can check the leaflet they came with of their label to see if they are flushable.

This is especially true for opioids. They are addictive, and if you have some surplus of opioids or other pain medicine, the first option you should look into is drug take-back programs. Flushing them should not be an option, as well as throwing them in the trash.

Drug Take-Back Programs

The US Drug Enforcement Agency sponsors the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day in a lot of communities nationwide. Not only that, but you can also check if your local government also has a drug take-back program that they run.  If you don’t know any, you can check with your local enforcement to see if they have one since they sometimes have these programs.

Also, some pharmacists or pharmacies offer drug take-back programs for themselves, throwing away the people’s prescription medicines themselves. They have on-site medicine drop boxes, mail-back programs, and other ways for them to take care of drug disposal for you.

Takeaway

Disposing of your medications properly doesn’t only protect you and your family members but also the environment. You are responsible for your medication, so you should be serious about putting them away safely and properly. If you can’t do it yourself, there are options on the table, and it’s up to you to take the initiative.