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Drugs Down the Drain?

I was just wondering how your medical office handles expired medication disposal. I recall that in every medical office I worked in this was always a gray area subject. Nobody was 100 percent sure what the proper procedure was. Most said, just flush it down the drain, down the toilet, in the trash, into the sharps container, or send them back with the pharmacy drug rep next time they show up.

I researched this issue, and checked with our city's waste management department (hazardous waste), but no clear answers anywhere. One person came up with an incredibly clever solution: "Pack them all up and donate them to the poor". Yeah, great! I will mail them to Darfur, or so, next time.

So, here is my question to those in charge of the medication closet:

How do YOU dispose of unneeded/expired medications either at home, or at the medical office (especially!)?

Thanks!

Danni

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Re: Drugs Down the Drain?

We put the sample meds in a sharps container. The meds we get from the hospital go back to pharmacy for disposal.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA/LPN

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? yes

Re: Drugs Down the Drain?

Tracy,
fill me in on the reasoning behind that as you know it. I was told because the sharp container's contents are incinerated---thus, the meds are burned up with everything else. Is that what you've heard, also? Any additional thoughts behind this.

Danni

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Re: Drugs Down the Drain?

Couple more factoids/thoughts:

1. When I followed the advice to just give them back to the drug rep, I could tell he was "ticked" because obviously, he didn't come by for THAT. His mission was to drop off more, just to find out we never gave out the previous samples, but had them sit there till they expired. .

So, that didn't go over too well!


2. When flushing them down the drain, or toilet, can you imagine the fish and wildlife on antibiotics, sterioids, antihistamines, and antiinflammatories? Not so good!!!

THAT may have worked 70 or more years ago, when the market wasn't nearly as flooded with all sorts of medications, and if something was prescribed, it was usually taken till finished, then. Nowadays, we live in excess.


3. I know it is illegal to discard controlled subsances in the regular trash, and it is against HIPPA and privacy rules, to simply discard medication bottles that have patient information labels on them, into the trash. I am not so sure, whether it is 'flat out' illegal to throw other medications into the garbage, especially when at home, the household trash, but I am SURE that it can potentially be a hazard, especially when these medications then fall into the wrong hands (out of the trash).

OK. Those were just a few additional thoughts. So to say, my 2 cents worth.



Danni

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Re: Drugs Down the Drain?

All I know is that they were getting rid of too much being flushed because it does get into the water system. We do waste injections down the drain if we have too much though. I don't know how the pharmacy destroys them. It would be interesting to question a pharmacist at a Wal Mart or Walgreens and see what their procedure is. I work nights so I miss out on all of the meetings and controversy over many things. I only hear if new policies are implemented, so I am a bit out of the loop.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA/LPN

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? yes

Re: Drugs Down the Drain?

Asking the pharmacist next time you have to pick up a prescription would be great. Can I ask every MA here to try to do the same---and then post their experiences, or answers? I believe this is an important topic to be discussed.

I did some research on the Internet, and there is some info available there. The most helpful that I could dig up was an article written for Los Angeles, CA, but it has helpful tips, and food for thought for any area: Here is an excerpt, followed by the article link.

Orange County Disposal Instructions:
http://www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org/disposal.html

In all other areas, first check with your city or county to determine whether their household hazardous waste collections accept medications. It is illegal for household hazardous waste centers to accept certain prescription medications known as "controlled substances". These are drugs that have a potential for addiction and/or abuse such as narcotics and tranquilizers.

Common controlled substances include codeine, phenobarbitol, and anabolic steroids (click here for a more detailed list). If you don't know if your prescription is a controlled substance, check with your doctor or pharmacist. If they tell you that it is a controlled substance, dispose of it as described in #2, taking care that all of the recommended steps are followed.


Danni

Your Professional Title/Credentials: Website Owner/Site Admin

Re: Drugs Down the Drain?

They do have a hazardous waste dropoff here once a year as well where people can drop off medications along with their old paint cans and such.

Your Professional Title/Credentials: RMA/LPN

Are You Still In School? yes

Are You Working? yes

Re: Drugs Down the Drain?

In my state (california) it is law that medication be disposed of in seperate containers. They are like sharp containers but with blue lids. Drugs should not be thrown out in the regular trash, pourn down the drain, flushed down the toilet or even put in sharps containers. They are disposed/destroyed in a specific way for medications.