Old medications

[mikey3000]

Recently I disposed of some old medications that I didn't want in the house. It was a large amount of oxycodone and hydromorophon left from my mother's and my wife's cancer managements. I returned them to the pharmacy, but i have this feeling that they weren't destroyed.
What do you do with old medication?

 

[Rickrock]

There are places to take them and turn them in. I am not sure where I heard this, it might have been in an article in the newspaper. In my suburb you take them to the security department at the local hospital.

 

[KaraBulut]

http://disposemymeds.org/

Many of the larger retail chains will provide mailer envelopes for a drug disposal company, upon request.

 

[Alistair]

The lobby of our police station has a drop box, if you don't trust the pharmacy.

 

[novastar]

you should have held on to those!!1

 

[KaraBulut]

you should have held on to those!!1

Not with children around the house. They need to go.

 

[unloadonme]

When my father died, I took all the left over drugs back to the pharmacy because my mother wouldn't let me flush them down the lavatory.

 

[KrisGreen]

I’ve had hydrocodone in a medicine cabinet for a a year and a half years ago when it was for accute pain. Normally I’d say save them.. but you seem to not have chronic pain which is good. Take them to CVS. Trust me they have cameras and are one of the biggest leaders in fighting opioid abuse. Don’t bring them to Walgreens.

 

[Pierresro]

When my father died, I took all the left over drugs back to the pharmacy because my mother wouldn't let me flush them down the lavatory.

Your mom was great and right as they can affect the water supply good on her

 

[azanallover]

Your mom was great and right as they can affect the water supply good on her

Fact we have SSRI drugs showing up in area water supplies due to the fact that some of the water is pumped back into the ground and we mostly use ground water in Az. Also many other drugs starting to show up

 

[TickTockMan]

I take my to the police HQ .

 

[Kulindahr]

Recently I disposed of some old medications that I didn't want in the house. It was a large amount of oxycodone and hydromorophon left from my mother's and my wife's cancer managements. I returned them to the pharmacy, but i have this feeling that they weren't destroyed.
What do you do with old medication?

I'm puzzled why you would think they weren't destroyed. No reputable pharmacist is going to take the risk that any medication in an opened container has been contaminated with something else, so unless you think they're selling the stuff on the street, I don't see a reason to worry.

They most likely send the meds off to places which destroy them without releasing anything into the environment (this can involved reduction by strong acids or burning in a high-oxygen combustion system).

In the U.S. and almost certainly also in Canada, any pharmacist caught "seconding" medications, i.e. passing them on to someone else, is going to lose the necessary license and will probably be blackballed from ever working in the profession in any capacity.


As for my old medications, when they switched me off Prozac I fed my remaining pills to the seagulls at the beach -- it just seemed kind of a fun idea (that would be contrary to law, now).

Other than that, I either drop them at the pharmacy or at the sheriff's drop site for them. A friend says I'm a fool because I dumped like four dozen unused pills that he said could have sold for $12 - $15 each on the street....

Though I did repurpose some of the mom's meds because they were a kind that can also be used for elderly dogs. That's probably better than feeding them to seagulls.

 

[Kulindahr]

When my father died, I took all the left over drugs back to the pharmacy because my mother wouldn't let me flush them down the lavatory.

A LOT of prescription drugs do weird and bad things to sewage treatment, so your mom was right.

 

[Kulindahr]

Fact we have SSRI drugs showing up in area water supplies due to the fact that some of the water is pumped back into the ground and we mostly use ground water in Az. Also many other drugs starting to show up

Rangers have reported SSRI traces in glacial lakes in Oregon; their appearance in ground water is all too common.

Some meds a friend is taking actually say not to pee outdoors while taking them!

 

[teddy]

En France, il y a des circuits de collectes pour les médicaments, soit directement dans les pharmacie ou dans des centres de recyclage. Mais malgré tout, nous restons de mauvais élèves, car il y a trop de gaspillage et notre système de santé nous encourage pas non plus à faire des efforts pour aller dans ce sens.
Mais, comme il y a aussi des abus ( reventes et trafics en tous genres), il est difficile de faire confiance à ces prestataires et au final, on finit aussi par jeter des boîtes complètes de médicaments à la poubelle.
Il y a eu des débats pour mieux organiser des collectes, limiter la consommation, limiter les prescriptions et la quantité de médicaments, mais les enjeux financiers sont si importants qu'au final rien n'est fait.

 

[novastar]

What makes you so sure the cops destroyed it?!?!