Hey Everyone!
Hope you’re all doing well!
First of all, I hope you are all in the best of health and that you don’t have to take any prescription medications.
However, I think it is safe to assume that at some point or another, each of us has been prescribed certain medication(s) by a doctor.
Interestingly, statistics show that as much as 40 percent of prescribed medications go unused. Sometimes all of these medications can become a source of clutter in our homes.
Recently, I was cleaning the medicine cabinet in our home and I was tempted to just immediately toss out any expired or unwanted medications directly into the trash.
However, after doing a few minutes of quick research on the subject I learned that there is a quick three step process to properly dispose old or unwanted prescription medications. This three step process ensures that these potentially dangerous medications are not found by young children, animals, and those who are looking to abuse drugs.
Step 1: Take a sealable plastic bag and open it.
Step 2: Pour the pills or liquid into the bag and mix it with something that will make it look unappealing. You can use kitty litter, coffee grounds or even dirt.
Step 3: Seal the bag and toss it into the trash.
Additionally, before you throw out medication bottles make sure that you use a pen or marker to scratch out any personal information that is listed on the bottle.
For more information about drug take back tips feel free to check out the FDA website.
I hope that you found these tips to be helpful.
With Love,
Yasmin
A Bit Better 
Many local police stations will also accept these medications.
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Oh wow I didn’t know that! Very Interesting! Thanks for sharing!!!
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You better do not do this, Yasmin ! Just bring these meds back to any pharmacy for them to be recycled (if possible) or properly destroyed or neutralized (more often). Even if you dissimulate the meds for humans and animals, they will end up in the ground and the water we all share.
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Yes you’re absolutely right that pharmacy take back programs are the best option! Here in the U.S. or at least here in California many pharmacies only take back medications on very specific days so it might not be convenient for everyone.
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Oh. I didn’t know that about your country. Here, all pharmacies take meds back at any time (and very gladly, since not yet everybody brings them, and still throw them to the trash or down the toilet :((
Since I’ve been working in the Hydrographic Survey I know most aquifers are strongly contaminated by all kind of human chemicals (mostly, industrial byproducts, agricultural fertilizers and herbicides, but also, medicinines. Since much of this stuff acts as xenoestrogen, in twenty o thirty years from now, t-girls like I won’t need to start a HRT because every man in this world will be a t-girl, willing or not.
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Honestly I had no idea thank you for pointing this out! I am astonished that the consequences of human carelessness could be so harmful!
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We are a real danger for this planet and for everything living on it. We are too many, consume too much energy and resources and spoil everything we touch… Our prevailing economy is based on predation and immediate benefit no matter what.
Said so, the main problem with recycling and disposal of toxic residues is that it consumes a lot of energy (and produces new residues too!) which in turn accelerates global warming. We are in a hellish loop that could only be more o less solved if world leaders were interested in it, but they are not. So, franckly, there is no way out that I can see 😦
Anyway, trying to be clean, saving water and energy, planting trees, etc. helps individual persons to feel better with ourselves and more honest before nature and creation, and this is worth the effort.
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Beautifully said! And very true!
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Here in Ireland all pharmacies will accept unused medicines for disposing.
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That’s so great! I guess many pharmacies in the U.S. are behind the ones in Europe!
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I was about to say the same thing. They accept unused medications here too. I have I confess always been concerned about children getting hold of medications, having had a son, who when he was little put everything in his mouth. We laugh about it now, but having made more than one worried phone call to the Poison Information Centre when he was little, I still act as if I have a two-year old around most days. He even managed to eat the silica gel sachet they put in packets to keep them dry one time. Apparently that was ok. I was even worried about the plants in the garden. He drank the tank water, ate bugs you name it but fortunately came through in one piece. Even now I tend to keep a lot of things out of toddlers’ reach, out of habit. Some children can manage to turn just about anything into a hazard mind you. I know a child who was rushed to accident and emergency because he had managed to consume large amounts of carpet fluff.
Here all chemists will take back unused medication too fortunately.
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Aww yes even though I dint have kids of my own I can definitely relate to your struggle! I’ve been around quite a few toddlers and they definitely do like to test everything out! My father who’s a scientist likes to say that toddlers have little laboratories in their mouths 😊
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So true.
🙂
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Actually, most towns and cities have a time of year when they have a collection of medications. It’s usually held by the police department where you can bring your unused medications and they will dispose of them properly. I used to work as a paramedic for a fire department and this was the recommended way of disposing of prescription medications. Just check with your local police department and see if they have this program.
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Oh yes you’re right! Thank you for the great tip!
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Very informative. Thanks.
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Thank you!!!
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