I was about to toss the remaining narcotics that I was given for my broken leg when I thought about how some people are insanely addicted to them and willing to do about anything to get some. I wondered if throwing them in the trash was such a good idea. I knew we were no longer suppose to flush them -- they can find their way into our drinking water -- but what is the best way?
I found the below publication on a
government site:
-- Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet or drain unless the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs you to do so. For information on drugs that should be flushed, visit the Food and Drug Administration's Web site, http://www.fda.gov.
-- To dispose of prescription drugs not labeled to be flushed, you may be able to take advantage of community drug take-back programs or other programs, such as household hazardous waste collection events, that collect drugs at a central location for proper disposal. Call your city or county government's household trash and recycling service and ask if a drug take-back program is available in your community.
-- If a drug take-back or collection program is not available:
1. Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
2. Mix drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds.
3. Put this mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or into a sealable bag.
4. Conceal or remove any personal information, including the prescription number, on the empty containers by covering it with black permanent marker or duct tape, or by scratching it off.
5. Place the sealed container with the mixture, and the empty drug containers, in the trash.
I followed these instructions putting the pills with old popcorn kernels instead of coffee grounds and only the cap went into the trash -- the bottle went into the recycling.
This would be good information to share with patients when they are given a new prescription.
