On September 26th, people across the nation will have the chance to turn or dispose of expired or unused medication. Most of us have probably forgotten about that prescription sitting in the back of our medicine cabinet, you know the one that you have just hung onto for lack of something better to do with it.
It may or may not be a narcotic drug, but if it is, getting rid of it is much safer than keeping it on hand.
As we all know prescription drug abuse is running rampant in our country right now and killing about 44 people a day. Keeping your medicine cabinet free of drugs that can be abused is one of the first steps towards making sure they never end up in the wrong hands.
There are many medicine take back programs that are a good way to safely dispose of most types of unneeded medicines. The DEA periodically hosts these kinds of events. September 26th, 2015 marks the 10th National Prescription Take Back Day. This Saturday, there will be sites set up in communities near you for safe disposal of your prescriptions. Local law enforcement agencies and hospitals will be participating, and waste management authorities may be able to help as well.
Dispose of Medicines in Your Home Safely
If you don’t have a disposal site near you, you can still participate by disposing of your drugs in your house.
- Mix medicines (do not crush them) with an unpalatable substances such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounds
- Put the mixture in a sealed plastic bag
- Now, throw it in the trash!
- Remove all the personal information on your prescription label and empty your pill bottle or empty medicine packaging to make sure it is unreadable, then throw away the container!
Easy right? There are also other ways of getting rid of your medicines. You can also flush them.
There are only certain medications that can and should be flushed instead of thrown away. These substances tend to be particularly harmful or even fatal if taken by someone other than you. To prevent the accidental consumption of these medications, it is recommended that you flush them or take them to a disposal site.
An example of medications like this would be fentanyl patches, narcotic painkillers, benzodiazepines, sleeping medications, aspirin etc. To see the full list please visit the link at the end of this blog.
If you want to take your medications to a disposal site, there are take back sites set up throughout the South Florida area. You should have no trouble finding a place to take your medicines. We have included a link below to assist you in your search for a take back site. It is so important that we dispose of our medications in a safe and knowledgeable manner. Like we said before, if someone who isn’t meant to have them takes these prescriptions they can be dangerous; that means your kids, grandchildren, friends or even yourself if a habit has formed. Also, many of these drugs lead to addiction. Getting rid of them means we’re no longer turning a blind eye to a problem that has become an epidemic across the country. We are beginning to do something when we take the action to keep our homes safe and drug free.
Want to find a disposal site? Here is the link to do so. Also see the link below to determine what medications should be flushed not just thrown out in the trash.
FIND A LOCATION TO DISPOSE:
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/
What Medications Go Where: