Many people have several prescription medications lying without use in their cabinets. The medications are either expired or no longer needed. Such drugs need to be disposed properly to avoid potential misuse or abuse. There are several methods for pharmaceutical disposal that one can opt for. Not all methods are suitable for all medications and one should be careful. Below are general tips and methods on safe disposal.
There is the risk of misuse or abuse of unused or expired medications if they are left in the home. No adverse effects result from most prescription medicines if consumed by the wrong people. However, some medications can have very serious effects on the wrong user. Apart from that, accidental or intentional consumption of prescription medications by the elderly and children is also possible. If that happens, the extreme situation could result into death of the individual.
Like stated above, every medication has a preferred disposal method. The labels in which the drugs come usually contain instructions on how to safely dispose them away when they are no longer being used. One should follow these instructions carefully to avoid making mistakes. Disposal instructions may also be found on patient information that accompanies the medication.
Pharmaceuticals are commonly disposed through household trash. From the trash most of the drugs end up in landfills. Not every home is safe with this option. The option can be dangerous for homes that have little children and mentally unstable adults. This is because they can take the drugs from the trash and consume them without the homeowner knowing. That can be a big problem.
Some less harmful medications are also safe to be disposed by flashing down the sink. This could be any sink in the house, but the bathroom sink is more preferable. When flashing, one must ensure that the tablets, powder, capsules, or other forms in which the medication is in completely goes down the sink. There are instructions as to whether one can break large tablets or not. The instructions must be adhered to strictly.
Take back program is another useful method. Take back programs encourage people to take all medications they no longer need to some central location. Such locations may be law enforcement agencies, hospital departments, or some other official place. This service is not available in all cities. One should phone relevant authorities and ask if there is such as program in their locality.
There are also several registered medicine collectors in various cities. These collectors collect unused and expired medications from the public. One must ensure that the collector is registered by the relevant authorities. Examples of such sites include law enforcement locations, clinic pharmacies, hospitals, and retail centers. Some of these collectors offer collection receptacles or mail-back programs.
Friends and other individuals who need prescription drugs should not be given the ones not prescribed for them. Labels must be destroyed or removed from all drugs that one decide to throw in the trash. This serves as protection for medical information of the individual and also makes the drugs undesirable to other people.
There is the risk of misuse or abuse of unused or expired medications if they are left in the home. No adverse effects result from most prescription medicines if consumed by the wrong people. However, some medications can have very serious effects on the wrong user. Apart from that, accidental or intentional consumption of prescription medications by the elderly and children is also possible. If that happens, the extreme situation could result into death of the individual.
Like stated above, every medication has a preferred disposal method. The labels in which the drugs come usually contain instructions on how to safely dispose them away when they are no longer being used. One should follow these instructions carefully to avoid making mistakes. Disposal instructions may also be found on patient information that accompanies the medication.
Pharmaceuticals are commonly disposed through household trash. From the trash most of the drugs end up in landfills. Not every home is safe with this option. The option can be dangerous for homes that have little children and mentally unstable adults. This is because they can take the drugs from the trash and consume them without the homeowner knowing. That can be a big problem.
Some less harmful medications are also safe to be disposed by flashing down the sink. This could be any sink in the house, but the bathroom sink is more preferable. When flashing, one must ensure that the tablets, powder, capsules, or other forms in which the medication is in completely goes down the sink. There are instructions as to whether one can break large tablets or not. The instructions must be adhered to strictly.
Take back program is another useful method. Take back programs encourage people to take all medications they no longer need to some central location. Such locations may be law enforcement agencies, hospital departments, or some other official place. This service is not available in all cities. One should phone relevant authorities and ask if there is such as program in their locality.
There are also several registered medicine collectors in various cities. These collectors collect unused and expired medications from the public. One must ensure that the collector is registered by the relevant authorities. Examples of such sites include law enforcement locations, clinic pharmacies, hospitals, and retail centers. Some of these collectors offer collection receptacles or mail-back programs.
Friends and other individuals who need prescription drugs should not be given the ones not prescribed for them. Labels must be destroyed or removed from all drugs that one decide to throw in the trash. This serves as protection for medical information of the individual and also makes the drugs undesirable to other people.
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