What should you do with expired medicines

This may affect fish and other marine life. These residues can also end up in our drinking water. However, some medicines must be disposed of as soon as possible to reduce their potential harm. You can flush them to prevent someone from using them. These include opioids or narcotics usually prescribed for pain.

You should ONLY flush medicines when it specifically says to do so on the label. The best way to dispose of your medicines is to bring them to drug take-back programs. These programs safely dispose of medicines by burning them up. Drug take-back programs are organized in most communities. There may be drop boxes for disposing of medicines or your town may have special days when you can bring hazardous household items such as unused medicines to a specific location for disposal.

Contact your local trash and recycling service to find out where you can dispose of medicines or when the next event is scheduled in your community. If you don't have a take-back program available, you can throw your medicines out with your household trash. To do so safely:. If you've had a medicine for a while, check the expiry date before using it. You should also make sure that you've stored the medicine properly, as described on the packaging or leaflet.

If your medicine looks, tastes or smells different to when you first got it, even if it's within the expiry date, take it to your pharmacist for advice. The expiry date usually means that you should not take the medicine after the end of the month given. For example, if the expiry date is July , you should not take the medicine after 31 July If your medicine has a use by or use before date instead of an expiry date, this usually means that you should not take the medicine after the end of the previous month.

The patches come with instructions about how to flush used and surplus ones safely. The FDA believes that the potential risks of these medications, which can be fatal if improperly used, outweigh the potential impact of flushing them away on the environment. The results showed all drugs on the list posed an insignificant risk for both the environment and human health when flushed.

According to the FDA , a more considerable amount of drug waste enters water supplies due to medicines passing through the body and entering the waterways through human waste.

Once a sharps disposal container is three-quarters full, it is ready to be emptied. Check with local trash removal services and healthcare facilities to find out what services are available and whether fees apply. Inhalers can be dangerous if they become punctured, are set on fire, or are thrown in an incinerator.

Contact the local trash or recycling center to find out how best to dispose of inhalers and any aerosol products. It is essential to dispose of unwanted medicines correctly. Children and pets may be especially at risk of consuming these drugs. Medications can be hazardous, and even fatal, if people misuse them or take them by accident. The best way to dispose of medication is to take it to a registered drop-off collection point or have a trained waste handler collect it from the house.

For other medications, the next best option is to dispose of drugs in the trash, following the steps listed above. Keep used needles and syringes in sharps disposal containers, and take any that are three-quarters full to a collection site.

If there is no site nearby, a mail-back program may be an option. Is a common pain reliever safe during pregnancy? August 29, Print This Page Click to Print. Staying Healthy. You might also be interested in…. Living Better, Living Longer With this Special Health Report, Living Better, Living Longer , you will learn the protective steps doctors recommend for keeping your mind and body fit for an active and rewarding life.

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