While ridding the home of unused and expired medication and keeping them out of children’s reach are certainly the responsible things to do, there is more to proper disposal of expired medications than simply flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash. Drugs improperly discarded by these methods may make their way into the soil and drinking water. In fact, pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. While some medications can be ground up, diluted in water or coffee grounds, and sealed in the plastic prior to disposal in the trash, others should be recycled at the pharmacy.
This week’s informative column on the subject of disposing expired medications has been brought to you as a public service. At Med-Fast Pharmacy, we are highly-trained and skilled healthcare professionals who perform various roles to ensure optimal health outcomes for their patients. We are more than a Pharmacy, We are family.
HINT: Increasing numbers of community-based “take-back” programs offer safe disposal of potentially dangerous medications.
