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Proper Disposal of Rx Drugs
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Most households have medicine cabinets or
cupboards that hold the family's prescription and over-the-counter
(OTC) drugs. Many of these medicines may be unused or expired.
With the rapid increase in the number of teens abusing prescription and
OTC drugs in recent years,1 it's important to clear out your cabinets and monitor remaining amounts regularly.
To help you do this, the Office of National Drug Control Policy recently issued Federal guidelines on the proper disposal of your unused and expired medicines: |
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- Take unused, unneeded, or expired
prescription drugs out of their original
containers and throw them in the trash.
Mixing
prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee
grounds or kitty litter, and putting them in impermeable, non-descript
containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, will further ensure
the drugs are not diverted.
Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs doing so.
Take advantage of community
pharmaceutical take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused
drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Some communities have
pharmaceutical take-back programs or
community solid-waste programs that allow the public to bring unused
drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Where these exist,
they are a good way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals.
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For more information, visit TheAntiDrug.com.
1 Friedman, R. "The Changing Face of Teenage Drug Abuse: The Trend Toward Prescription Drugs," New England Journal of Medicine. 2006
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