Drug disposal

[llcoolvad]

Last night I cleaned out a bureau in which I have all of my drug store-type stuff. Soap, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, cosmetics, pain relievers, vitamins, bandages, etc.  I pulled out all the expired meds as well as anything I never use or anything, well, sticky! I threw out all the non-toxic stuff, but now I have a pile of expired Rx meds, expired vitamins, and expired pain relievers. And I'm stumped. I don't want to flush all of it and have it enter the groundwater/sewage system. And I don't want it sitting in a landfill being all druggy-toxic.

I have some pretty old stuff in there that I've been just ignoring — I don't know the proper method for disposal of drugs. So today I did a little research. There's a lot of information directed at pharmacists out there, but a lot of them have instructions like "return to the manufacturer per their takeback program". Not helpful. So I called my pharmacy. I was told that they don't have any kind of recycling/disposal option there, and was instructed to just "throw them out". Not helpful. So I called my town DPW. I was transferred to the health department, who perkily advised me that I should speak to the substance abuse counselor, who was out today but I could leave a message and she'd get back to me. Yeah, I'm leaving my name and number on the local substance abuse hotline. Uh-huh. 

I read my town's elaborate information on recycling, and of course there's nothing about drug disposal. Mixing them in with kitty litter is certainly an option, but that seems to be merely to ensure that willful drug-seeking teenagers won't be picking through my trash to get high off of expired Vitamin C. So now I think my only option is to peel off the identifying information from the bottles and chuck them in the trash. That seems bad.  Any suggestions, anyone?

Comments

[p-j-cleary.livejournal.com]

Bring to the hospital near you. Explain the situation. They should have a disposal program. That's what my cousins did with all the (very powerful) drugs that Aunt Sue was on during her final stages of cancer.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my suggestion was to check with more pharmacists. Because I just recently read someone else's quest and that was the answer they came up with. They were hoping to re-sell non-expired drugs to people who could actually use them, but this was the best they could come up with.

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

If the drugs aren't expired and are in blister packs or unopened things, sometimes doctors will take them to give out as samples to their patients. My mom gave all Dad's unused inhalers (he managed to get extra inhalers all the time, so he had about a year's supply stashed away when he died) to her doctor, who was very pleased to get them as they were quite expensive.

If they're opened, most doctors won't take the chance that they either haven't been tampered with or aren't full potency because of exposure to moisture or light or whatever.

I really hate our local hospital so maybe that's where I'll unload this stuff. Assholes should be forced to do SOMETHING right.

[kicking-k.livejournal.com]

Seconded.

We should really do something about all the odds and ends of antidepressants that are in our bathroom cabinet. You really don't want lithium hanging around. (They're not mine, they're my husband's - but he is currently off them.)

[llcoolvad.livejournal.com]

Yeah, probably bad to keep a lot hanging around. On the other hand, might be good to keep a couple of doses around in case he needs it suddenly when the drugstore -- sorry, chemist! -- might be closed.

[kicking-k.livejournal.com]

Well... most of the anti-depressants are of the "take for six weeks and see if it has any effect" variety, I think. And he's just managed to convince the docs that none of them do have any effect for him (or nothing positive, anyway - the side-effects seem to come through loud and clear).

He's been on about twelve different drugs over the years, and none seems to work for him - apparently this isn't uncommon with chronic depression. Though it's as well to to be certain, I'm sure, before stopping taking them.