If you have prescription drugs in your home you no longer need, it’s a good idea to dispose of them sooner rather than later. You might also need to get rid of a drug that wasn’t prescribed correctly or in the right dose. Medical malpractice lawyers McLaughlin & Lauricella, P.C. say dosage errors can be fatal in some cases, so it’s always good to double check. When you dispose of drugs correctly, you prevent the possibility of theft, or an intentional or accidental overdose. Here are some tips for how to properly dispose of medications and keep your home and family a little safer.
Flush Them Down the Toilet
For some medicines, the best way to dispose of them is to flush them down the toilet. If this is a proper disposal method, it is likely to say so on the label. This is not appropriate for certain types of drugs that could contaminate the water supply, or that could have effects on wildlife, such as antibiotics. If you aren’t sure, check with your doctor.
Take Them to Disposal Sites
Pharmacies, hospitals, doctors’ offices, and health departments often have special days where they will accept your leftover prescription medications. The aim of these disposal events is to get powerful narcotics out of homes, where they easily can be taken and then sold on the street. However, such disposal sites will take any type of prescription drug, so you can utilize them to get rid of old antibiotics, blood pressure medicines, birth control pills, and all other types of medicines.
Donate Them for Recycling
Most states have programs where they allow certain prescription medications to be recycled for use by low-income patients. Only in some of these states, however, can patients directly donate the medicines for recycling, and only in cases where the medicine is in original packaging that has not been opened. If you have a medication that went unused for whatever reason, you should check with your doctor or local health department to see if by law, you can donate the medicine.
Throw Them in the Garbage
If you do not have any programs in your area where you can take prescription drugs, either to donate them or have them destroyed, the easiest and safest way to dispose of the medicines is to put them in the trash. However, you do not just want to throw them in your trash can. Experts recommend putting them in sealed bag along with some undesirable substance, such as coffee grounds or cat litter, that will make them hard to find, and unattractive to someone who might go through your trash.
Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem, and many people get access through theft, which makes it very important that you properly dispose of any unused medicines you may have.
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