How Do I Dispose Of Old Prescription Medications?

“Can I give these to you?”, asked a patient as she held out a plastic bag of half-empty prescription bottles and leaned over the counter?

I have been asked this question dozens of times as a pharmacist. Someone has unwanted medication that they are trying to get rid of. Maybe they had a family member that had recently passed away, maybe it was a medication that they no longer needed or had from a past surgery or maybe it was a medication they found when cleaning out the closet of their parents….Either way, my answer was always the same.

“No, it’s against policy” and (really against federal laws). You see, there are certain rules around disposing of medications, especially controlled medications and our companies do not want the liability of having random bottles of prescriptions hanging out in the pharmacy.

Five years later, the answer had not changed. When I was taking time off of from pharmacy and found some old nausea medicine in my own cabinet (and now I had a 2 year old so was hyper diligent about getting these things out of the house), I had to do my own research. I knew my pharmacy did not take back medication, but there had to be somewhere I could take it? When I had been working at Walgreens, we always directed the patient to local law enforcement agencies. Turns out, that was still the case! I walked in to my local fire station and placed them into a receptacle, no questions asked.

Safe medication storage and disposal is a very important part of medication use.  Not only does proper storage keep our medications safe and intact, it also keeps them out of unwanted hands. Drug over dose deaths are up 16% from last year and according to a recent report, many of these occurrences are from someone who received a medication from a family member or friend.  Often these misused drugs are stolen directly from someone’s medicine cabinet.

Drug take back day for Americans happens twice a year. The purpose of these days is to safely get rid of old or expired, unwanted, or no longer needed medications and prevent the accidental poisoning, overdose or misuse. On this day, collection sites are set up in local cities throughout the nation for safe disposal of prescription medications. Collection sites are a safe and anonymous way to dispose of medications and may be found at retail, clinic and hospital pharmacies as well as law enforcement agencies.  For a complete list, visit dea.gov/takebackday.

Year round receptacles are also available at more than 13,000 locations. I was at my local pharmacy in Florida right before COVID and noticed a big receptacle right in the pharmacy. I was so excited that I took a picture and sent to my friends. See, friends, the world of healthcare is evolving and getting more convenient. I was glad to see a prescription take-back receptacle located right outside.

Here are a few more tips on how to safely dispose of your medications:

1.       Take your medication to one of the designated areas. On April 30th, dozens of organizations are participating. Some pharmacies also have year round secure boxes where you can drop medications off at and some police stations and fire stations do too.

2.       If drop off is not possible, and your medicine is on the FDA flush list, you should flush dangerous and possibly life-threatening medications down the toilet. It is important to know that NOT all medications can be safely flushed so make sure you check the FDA list or ask your healthcare provider.

3.       If you cannot flush the medication, some pills and liquids can be mixed with coffee grounds, dirt or cat litter, sealed in a bag and then thrown in the trash.

And don’t forget that you always need to keep your medications secure and safe – whether that be for your regular use or while you are waiting to properly dispose of them.  It’s not a good idea to keep your medication in your purse or car (heat and humidity can hurt the integrity of the pills) so a solution like a lock box or other secure location is something to be aware of.

I recently found out about an an IQ Digital Lock Box that can fit nicely into your medication cabinet. Made by the company, Robern, this lock box has  key code entry and tamper notifications via smartphone – you have total control over your items and medications. This secure location keeps them safe for your use or until you can properly dispose of them.  For more information about this Lock Box, visit: Robern.

Either way, don’t forget to keep your medications secure and to dispose of them properly!

Any questions, click here!

For more information about Drug Take Back Days and receptacles in your area, visit this link.

Lastly, whether you are disposing of your medication in the trash or in a receptacle, be sure to always take the labels off the vials (to protect your identity and security).