Be Smart With Unused or Expired Medications, Baptist Health Pharmacy Director Advises

If you’re like most people, you probably have a medicine cabinet filled with prescription and over-the-counter medications – many of them probably no longer needed or well beyond their expiration date. Of even greater concern, says a Baptist Health Pharmacy expert, is that those medications run the risk of them being used inappropriately, either to treat an illness or condition for which they were not indicated, or by a person for whom they were not prescribed.

Gordon Garland, RPH, CPH, Baptist Health Pharmacy Director

“National Prescription Drug Take Back Day [April 22, 2023] is our annual reminder to inspect our medicine cabinets and safely dispose of any old or unneeded medications,” says Gordon Garland, RPH, CPH, Baptist Health Pharmacy Director. “Something your doctor prescribed may be safe and effective for you but could be harmful to someone else who doesn’t have your condition or who has some other underlying condition that could be aggravated by taking that particular medication.”

According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States isn’t “street drugs” such as cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines – it’s the ones found right at home in your medicine cabinet or your nightstand, SAMHSA says.

Profoundly affecting the lives of teenagers

“Two-thirds of teens who misused pain relievers in the past year say that they got them from family and friends, including their home’s medicine cabinets, making it important to safeguard medicine in the home,” the organization notes. The problem of prescription drug abuse is “profoundly affecting” the lives of teenagers, as the effects of prescription drug abuse can be “particularly harmful” to adolescent brains, which continue developing well into one’s early- to mid-twenties.

“During adolescence, the pre-frontal cortex further develops to enable us to set priorities, formulate strategies, allocate attention, and control impulses,” SAMHSA goes on to say. “As with any type of mind-altering drug, prescription drug misuse and abuse can affect judgment and inhibition, putting adolescents at heightened risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, misusing other kinds of drugs, and engaging in additional risky behaviors.”

Best ways to dispose of old medications

Mr. Garland points out that properly disposing of old medications is a good idea for several reasons. “It prevents accidental poisoning of children and pets and deters misuse by teenagers and adults. It also avoids health problems from accidentally taking the wrong medicine, too much of the same medicine, or a medicine that is too old to work well.”

However, adds Mr. Garland, there are specific ways one should dispose of unused or unneeded medications. “You never want to just toss them in the trash or flush them down the toilet” he says.

The best way to dispose of your old medications is through drug take-back programs in your community, Mr. Garland says. “Every year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in communities nationwide, and many communities also have their own programs,” he says.

Mr. Garland says that you can also ask your pharmacist to see what they recommend. “All of our Baptist Health Pharmacy locations (Baptist Hospital of Miami, South Miami Hospital, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Plantation, Bethesda East Hospital) have an easy to access drug disposal receptacle which can be utilized anytime, confidentially,” he says.

Think before you flush

If a take-back program is not easily available, says Mr. Garland, another option is to dispose of your medications at home. “If the medication is listed on the Food & Drug Administration ‘FDA Flush List’, then you may safely flush it down the toilet.”

Even so, you might want to forego flushing your medications and use another method of disposal. According to an article published last year in the Tampa Bay Times, researchers at Florida International University’s Coastal Fisheries Research Lab, prescription drugs are contaminating Florida’s marine life.

“Fish and marine life off South Florida’s coast are ingesting high amounts of pharmaceuticals flushed down the drain or excreted in wastewater, because outdated treatment facilities are unable to detect and filter out the contaminants,” the Times reported. “Researchers identified 58 different pharmaceuticals in 93 bonefish, sampled along a 200-mile stretch of South Florida’s coastline over a three-year period. In one case, the researchers found 16 different drugs in a single fish.”

Tossing medications in the trash

Another way to dispose of unneeded medications at home is to throw them away but there is a strict protocol for this, Mr. Garland notes. “Take them out of their original containers and mix the drugs with an undesirable substance, such as cat litter or used coffee grounds. “Next, place the drug mixture into a sealable bag or a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub.”

Then, Mr. Garland continues, make sure you conceal or remove any personal information on the empty containers, including the prescription number, by covering it with permanent marker or duct tape or by scratching it off. “You don’t want anyone stealing your identity or accessing your personal health information,” he says. “Once you’ve done this, you can safely place both the sealed container and the empty drug containers in your trash.”

Above all, says Mr. Garland, it’s always a good idea to be mindful of the medications you have around the house and remember that any type of medication – prescription or OTC – can have adverse effects if used inappropriately.

What if your teenage child took a look in your medicine cabinet?” he asks, adding that most likely they already have. “Would they find something their friends have been talking about at school? You can’t be too careful, so PLEASE remove all vulnerabilities in your home and bring them to us for safe and confidential disposal and destruction.”