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Answers from
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Topic: Drugs, Proper Disposal
Question: How should I dispose of old or unused medication?

Answer:Because of hazards to humans, pets, and the environment, the old guidelines—flushing unwanted medications down the toilet or putting them in the trash—are no longer advised. Children, pets, and indigent people may find medications in the trash and become accidentally poisoned, and putting medications in the trash or down the toilet means they can find their way into water sources and landfills, and pollute them—causing danger to humans, animals, fish, and vegetation.

Why do we discard medications? There are many reasons: For example, the drug may have expired, it may not have worked for the patient, the prescription was changed to a different drug, the patient forgot or refused to take the drug, or the drug caused uncomfortable side effects.

The Federal government released new guidelines for proper medication disposal in early 2007. These guidelines, released jointly by The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urge Americans to take these steps:

§ Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers.

§ Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable substance such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, nondescript containers such as empty cans or sealable bags, further ensuring that the drugs are not diverted or accidentally ingested by children or pets.

§ Throw these containers in the trash.

§ Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the accompanying patient information specifically instructs it is safe to do so and your state permits such actions.

§ Return unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs to pharmaceutical take-back locations that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for safe disposal.

View the Walgreens.com Ask a Pharmacist Archives for a list of all commonly asked questions.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your physician for diagnosis and treatment of your medical condition. Advances in medicine may cause this information to become outdated, invalid or subject to debate. Professional opinions and interpretations of the scientific literature may vary. Walgreens' terms of use and general warranty disclaimer apply to all services provided. If you are in need of immediate medical attention, contact your physician, poison control center or emergency medical professional. If you need to speak with a pharmacist for non-emergency matters, contact your local Walgreens pharmacist or call a Walgreens.com pharmacist toll-free at 1-877-250-5823.