As much of the healthcare in America is designed around treating various symptoms (especially when it comes to treating symptoms of chronic issues), it should come as no shock when people report having excess medication lying around that was once prescribed to treat a past sinus infection, alleviate pain post-surgery procedure etc. If spring cleaning is something you’ll be doing, add your med cabinet to the list! Use this as an opportunity to see what medications you have and which ones you are no longer taking.
How do you properly dispose of these medications?
The National Prescription Drug Take Back Effort was established to safely collect medications that are no longer needed. In the past, most people would discard old medication in the trash or flush them down the toilet. Disposing of drugs in the trash can be dangerous because there could be someone who gets ahold of the drugs that shouldn’t have such access, like a child. In addition, medications that make their way to the landfill or in the water supply can also be accidentally ingested by wildlife and also have a negative impact on our environment.
This year, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day falls on Saturday, April 22nd.If you have expired medications or have prescription drugs in your possession that you are no longer taking, click here to find a collection site near you.
If you are no longer taking certain medications, please be vigilant in updating your medication records. Not only is this important for your healthcare provider(s) but having an updated medication list is critical in the event of an emergency where EMTs or first responders may need to access this information!
Having difficulty remembering to take your medications? ABC Home Healthcare Professionals’ Medication Management Program can help!
