Getting rid of drugs

[ScottM]

Since the death of my step father I have been the recipient of many drugs. He had a lot of medication and it has not stopped being sent yet. I have gotten three big bags of the stuff in the mail. Most of it is innocuous stuff but I have gotten a couple of really good pain meds!

No matter what I do not think that throwing this in the trash is a good idea nor is flushing it down the toilet into my septic system.

Does anyone know how to properly dispose of drugs these days?

 

[ausrere]

Since the death of my step father I have been the recipient of many drugs. He had a lot of medication and it has not stopped being sent yet. I have gotten three big bags of the stuff in the mail. Most of it is innocuous stuff but I have gotten a couple of really good pain meds!

No matter what I do not think that throwing this in the trash is a good idea nor is flushing it down the toilet into my septic system.

Does anyone know how to properly dispose of drugs these days?

You might call a reverse distributor. I'm not sure if they take drugs from individuals or not, but they do from doctors and pharmacies. One I found on my list in your state is:

http://www.pharmalogistics.com/

Some pharmacies will take care of getting them to the reverse distributors for you. You might be able to call the mail order pharmacy and ask them about returning them for destruction.

 

[gprellwitz]

You need to call the pharmacy (VA?) that's sending them anyway, so they stop sending them. I think Lisa's right. I would not recommend trying to sell them on the street! (But I know you wouldn't do that anyway.)

You might contact a local nursing home to find out if they're authorized to accept them. They may be able to legally re-disburse them to their residents who cannot afford them.

My dad had few enough left that I did a bad thing and dumped them down the toilet. Not environmentally friendly!

 

[ScottM]

You need to call the pharmacy (VA?) that's sending them anyway, so they stop sending them. I think Lisa's right. I would not recommend trying to sell them on the street! (But I know you wouldn't do that anyway.)

I did that several weeks ago. But it takes time to get the system all shut down.

You might contact a local nursing home to find out if they're authorized to accept them. They may be able to legally re-disburse them to their residents who cannot afford them.

They won't accept any drugs except ones that they order.

I am thinking of just going to the local hospital and setting them on table in an unoccupied room and walking out

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Scott- it's good you want to do the proper thing with these medicines. Far too many rivers and lakes have detectable amounts of pharmaceuticals in them. It is estimeted that ~19 tons of active pharmaceutical ingredients are dumped in sewers annually*.

How to get rid of them?
It is generally recommended that you take the drugs out of their packaging, mix with kitty litter or coffee grounds in a sealable container, and put in the trash.
Reference (and more information):
http://ondcp.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf

* ref: Chemical & Engineering News http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/86/8608coverbox.html . Active pharmaceutical ingredient is the part of the dose you ingest that actually imparts the biological activity. Most of the rest is generally fillers to make it easier to handle, agents that control release of the compound or protect the compound until it is used.

 

[CT Arrow]

You might contact a local nursing home to find out if they're authorized to accept them. They may be able to legally re-disburse them to their residents who cannot afford them.

After my father passed away, we gave all Meds and related medical equipment to the Care Facility where he lived. They could not have thanked us enough! Pay it forward!

 

[Henning]

Since the death of my step father I have been the recipient of many drugs. He had a lot of medication and it has not stopped being sent yet. I have gotten three big bags of the stuff in the mail. Most of it is innocuous stuff but I have gotten a couple of really good pain meds!

No matter what I do not think that throwing this in the trash is a good idea nor is flushing it down the toilet into my septic system.

Does anyone know how to properly dispose of drugs these days?

Send them all to me, I will dispose of them properly.....

 

[Henning]

I did that several weeks ago. But it takes time to get the system all shut down.

They won't accept any drugs except ones that they order.

I am thinking of just going to the local hospital and setting them on table in an unoccupied room and walking out

Uh..no, not good, although the hospital will dispose of them for you if you just take them there. They will never be consumed in normal medical treatment, so if you don't want to see them wasted, send them to me.....

 

[woodstock]

Would it be possible to give them to a hospital in a poor part of the country where they might need them, or, do homeless shelters ever have a need for this? (utterly no idea if they have the capability to screen people for any medical issues).

 

[ScottM]

After my father passed away, we gave all Meds and related medical equipment to the Care Facility where he lived. They could not have thanked us enough! Pay it forward!

The care facility where my step dad lived took his left overs, but they and the local nursing homes will NOT take donations from outside. Even if they are sealed containers.

 

[Henning]

Would it be possible to give them to a hospital in a poor part of the country where they might need them, or, do homeless shelters ever have a need for this? (utterly no idea if they have the capability to screen people for any medical issues).

Multiple risk factors that may or may not be deemed acceptable. Just from a tampering point of view, it's not worth it for most for meds. It has to go into private hands and it makes its way down to Haiti where they don't worry about it. I have a friend and she runs several bargeloads of relief & mission supplies down there a year. They collect all sorts of stuff.

 

[DawnW]

When my mom died, the local hospice happily took her leftover $1000/month anti-nausea meds (I'm not exaggerating - used while she was having chemo). I don't know how they determine whether the meds are safe, but they were eager to have them.