Prescription Drug Disposal
Prescription Drugs
You’ve probably heard or read a lot lately about prescription drugs abuse and teens getting high off of the stuff you have stashed in your medicine cabinet. Well it’s true. So what do you do with old medicines you have after they have served their purpose and they are just laying around in the med cabinet waiting for some curious, bored teen to get his or her hands on them?
According to a DEA news release, in 2010 over 242,000 pounds (121 tons) of prescription drugs were collected by government, public health, and law enforcement and concern citizens in communities all across America at over 4,000 Prescription Drug Take Back sites.
On September 25th 2010 the Drug Enforcement Administration DEA and government in collaboration with the local community, public health and law enforcement partners held a nationwide prescription drug “Take-Back”. The “Take Back” was tremendous success. All over America and in Puerto Rico Americans lined up to drop off and dispose of tons of out dated and expired prescription medicine. The initiative was a successful collaborative effort that sought to prevent the increase of prescription drug abuse and theft. The DEA collected the potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs and eventually destroyed them. There were no questions asked about the drugs or where they came from. It was a totally free and anonymous service provided to the public.
National Prescription Drug Abuse Effort
National Effort
The national Prescription Drug Take Back programs address a vital public safety and public health issue, Prescription drug abuse and addiction. Most Americans are not aware that unused and out dated medicines that are left at home in the medicine cabinets are highly can be easily misused, and abused. The rate of increase of Prescription Drug abuse in the America right now is alarming. The number of accidental poisonings and overdoses attributed to Prescription drugs are equally disturbing.
The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from the good old medicine cabinet or from family and friends. Most Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine. In some cases, merely flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away can be a potential safety and health hazards.
National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign aggressively reaches out to individuals and encourages them to get rid of their unused prescription drugs. “Prescription drugs pose a safety hazard and can contribute to prescription drug abuse,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler
“Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest-growing drug problem, and take-back events like this one are an indispensable tool for reducing the threat that the diversion and abuse of these drugs pose to public health,” said Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske.
According to a 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more Americans abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined. Most of these drugs are obtained through obtained from family and friends.
There was an overwhelming public response to DEA’s first nationwide Take-Back. People were educated about the increasing abuse and diversion of prescription drugs.
Learning how to properly dispose of old meds is very important and be possibly save lives. of Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications have become the new drug of choice for many teenagers.
Prescription Drug Abuse Warning Signs
Pharming is the term used by teens. It is when kids use prescription and OTC drugs for recreational use. I implore every parent to get the facts and stay informed. Believe it or not according to the Department of Consumer Protection, one in five teens have used powerful narcotic pain relievers for non-medical reasons.
Parents be aware, your medicine cabinets are potential drug store some for teenage and abuse of these meds is on the rise. Proper disposal of old, out-dated and unused medications may not seem like a big deal but trust me, with the rate of prescription drug abuse today believe me when I say it is a very BIG DEAL! When your drugs are no longer needed get rid of them. But dispose of them properly to avoid harm to others.
Narconon of Georgia has been at the forefront in the “War on Drugs” in Georgia since 2000. Mary Rieser, founder of Narconon of Georgia, along with a team of drug and alcohol abuse and addiction specialists deal with the effects of prescription drug abuse and illicit drug abuse on a daily basis. “While we see more people coming in for prescription drug abuse, it is gratifying to see communities around the country taking action to educate and prevent the abuse of prescription drugs”, said Rieser. “But we have so much more work to do.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a list some methods and instructions for proper special disposal of your unused, old and out-dated medicines. Narconon of Georgia has taken the liberty of listing them below. If you have no medicine take-back program available in your area Narconon of Georgia encourages you to follow the steps suggested by the FDA listed below. Be safe and stay informed.
“Disposal in Household Trash:
“Mix medicines (do NOT crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds;
- Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag; and
- Throw the container in your household trash
Flushing of Certain Medicines
- There is a small number of medicines that may be especially harmful and, in some cases, fatal in a single dose if they are used by someone other than the person the medicine was prescribed for. List of medicines recommended for disposal by flushing. For this reason, a few medicines have specific disposal instructions that indicate they should be flushed down the sink or toilet when they are no longer needed and when they cannot be disposed of through a drug take-back program. When you dispose of these medicines down the sink or toilet, they cannot be accidently used by children, pets, or anyone else.
- You may have also received disposal directions for these medicines when you picked up your prescription. If your medicine is on this list, and you did not receive information containing disposal instructions along with your dispensed prescription, you can find instructions on how to dispose of the medicines at DailyMed2, by searching on the drug name, and then looking in one of the following sections of the prescribing information:
- Information for Patients and Caregivers
- Patient Information
- Patient Counseling Information
- Safety and Handling Instructions
- Medication Guide
For more information on prescription drug abuse and Narconon of Georgia….
 Michael Bonds, Bauder College About The AuthorMichael Bonds is a Criminal Justice Senior at Bauder College in Atlanta Georgia. He is currently doing his externship at Narconon of Georgia. |
