Many of us have half empty bottles in our medicine cabinet. These bottles end up taking up space and when we do go to clean out the cabinet, we often find ourselves throwing these unneeded bottles into the trash can. However this is unsafe! Read more to learn how to safely dispose of your expired medications.
How do I know that my medication is expired?
Every medication you pick-up from your local pharmacy will have an expiration date in which you should no longer consume the drug. In general, most medications have an expiration date of one year from the date it is dispensed, but there are some exceptions to this rule. The pharmacy is required to label medications with an expiration date. Always make sure to check this date before consuming the medication to know if the drug is still safe to take.
Is it safe to take expired medication?
Expired medications can be much less effective and even unsafe at times do to changes in the chemical structure of the drug. Additionally, expired medications are at a higher risk for bacterial growth and less-effective antibiotics which can lead to more serious illness. Therefore, if your medicine is expired, do not use it.
How do I dispose of my medication safely?
Gold standard is to use a drug take-back program if available! DEA coordinates national prescription drug take back days to help provide communities safe and easy ways to dispose of expired or unwanted medications.
Click here to find the location and times of the next drug take-back day!
Call your local pharmacy! Many pharmacies offer drug disposal boxes in which you can drop your unwanted or expired medication off and it will be safely disposed of for your convenience. Unfortunately, Preston’s Pharmacy does not have the resources to participate in drug take-backs.
Click here to find a drug disposal box near you!
Flushing medications that could be harmful or even fatal to a child, pet, or anyone else if taken accidentally is a good secondary option if there are no drug disposal boxes near you. Only certain medications are able to be flushed. Double check the flush list to see if your medication is safe to flush!
Click here to see the medication flush list!
Dispose of the medication at your own home by following these steps:
- mixing medicine with an unpalatable substance such as dirt, kitty litter, or used coffee grounda
- placing the mixture into a container such as a sealed plastic bag
- throwing the container away in your household trash
- scratching out all personal information on your prescription bottle, then dispose of the container in the trash.
Can you dispose of your medication at Preston’s?
We currently do not have a drug disposal box at our location, but we are more than happy to help you locate or find a safe way for you to dispose of your medication that is convenient for you. Give us a call if you need more information and to refill your medication once you have disposed of your expired medication!
