How do you get rid of them?
@GardenGerty (157551)
United States
December 10, 2017 4:42pm CST
When you have been given a prescription and filled it, then the doctor says "Don't take it anymore." how do you get rid of it?
Long ago they said to flush left over pills. . . not good. We have medications showing up in our water table. Hormones and other drugs.We do not need to be drinking that or watering crops with it.
People THINK the doctor or pharmacist will help you with that. Not on your life.Not sure why, probably something to do with not enough time.
Occasionally communities have toxic waste days or drug send back days, but that does not happen too often.
My sister was told by a pharmacist to crush unwanted pills and then mix them in to used coffee grounds or kitty litter.
So in the bag with my used kitty litter are the remains of two kinds of blood thinners. Hubby is now on his third one.
If you did not know this, I hope it helps. If you know a better way, you can share with me.
10 people like this
11 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
10 Dec 17
We are encouraged to bring them back to a pharmacist. They are forced by law to collect them for free. Then they are collected by agreed companies charged to destroy them without damaging the environment. Before 2008 some were given to NGOs to be used in third world countries, it is now forbidden.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Dec 17
I like the idea that they could help someone in need.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
11 Dec 17
@GardenGerty Certainly, I do not understand why it has been forbidden.
@snowy22315 (169958)
• United States
10 Dec 17
I did not know this,,thanks for the hint,
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Dec 17
It seems other people in other parts of the US have a different answer than I was told. I will say, this was told me by my sister and she often makes up stories.
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
11 Dec 17
I used to throw them in the garbage but have not used any medications for some ten years now and I hope I can keep it that way.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Dec 17
When my sister first had this problem, more than ten years ago, she had opioid prescriptions for her deceased partner. Those are not good in the trash, someone will take them anyway.They are not good on your person or in your house if people who are addicted find out about them. The only meds I take are always completely used up. Congrats on not needing any.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
11 Dec 17
@GardenGerty I think that pharmacies should have a place for us to return them for disposal.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62125)
• United States
11 Dec 17
There's a deposit bin at the VA hospital for unused/expired medications, both prescription and over-the-counter. I've heard that some pharmacies will accept them. And, a few times of year, there's a publicized "bring your old medicines in" collection sponsored by local hospitals and police.
I like the idea of the hospital having a "garbage can" (it's locked, looks like a shredder bin) for the medications. That way they can be deposited and safely disposed of.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Dec 17
I would be happy for any of those options.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
12 Dec 17
See, that is a simple solution that would likely work well, in my opinion.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
12 Dec 17
@GardenGerty They use special containers to get rid of those wastes, the same used by the hospitals.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
10 Dec 17
We can return them to the pharmacy for disposal.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Dec 17
@Morleyhunt Good customer service.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
11 Dec 17
@GardenGerty I asked at our local pharmacy. They told me to just bring them in and they would dispose of them.
1 person likes this
@buenavida (9985)
• Sweden
11 Dec 17
I have not used much medicines latest years, except during the latest year, as I had to use blood pressure medicines.. Someone told me to leave left over medicine to the pharmacy, and I did that, and they even gave me some points for doing that..!! I think it is not allowed to throw them to the trash..
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Dec 17
I think that crushing the pills and putting them in kitty litter or coffee grounds is okay. I thought, in an earlier post that you meant put them in the kitty litter when it is to be used by the cat. Not after. Silly me. I don't remember what they told me to do with some meds I didn't take. It was several years ago.
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
11 Dec 17
Like you, my pharmacy won't take unused meds back. I was told to mix mine with water (right in the bottle the prescription comes in,) shake it up so they're unusable, and throw it out. (But remove your name and all that info from the label so you can get in trouble if some idiot comes along and drinks it.) I don't know of any places around here that takes unused meds...the doctors won't take them off my hands for me either. I have asked what to do with them and they just shrug and aren't of any help.
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
11 Dec 17
See, that makes sense to me. Only problem would be our pharmacies would have to account for their inventory.
2 people like this
