The other day I had to run errands. Among them, I had to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. Knowing this ahead of time, I decided to bag up all the old, remaining prescription bottles out of my cupboard to finally satisfy my knowledge of the truth of the proper way to dispose of them.
So bundled up with coats, hats, and my purse crammed of half-used prescriptions (from three surgeries and endless amount of colds over the last year), Judah and I went into the local grocery store right for the pharmacy. Needless to say, I felt like the world's worst druggie! Of course, this just had to be the day it was busy with a line of people and so we waited. Judah waved to the old gentleman (way to score us points Judah). Finally, our turn came. I sat Judah on the counter holding him and gave my name to pick-up the new prescription. Looking around, I then leaned forward and slowly took out the bag of bottles. With a low voice, I asked the clerk about returning used prescriptions.
It was not long before I got my answer. And I think everyone else did too. Once, I did though, I was glad to finally quench my interest in the prescription disposal debate, at least for now. The pharmacist came over, looked at each individual bottle (since I had a bagful), and took a few with her. With a smile, she gave me back the rest giving me the long-awaited answer.
While she took general prescriptions like nausea medicine, she did give me back liquids over 4 ounces and controlled substances like pain killers. Most pharmacies will take back some of your prescriptions but not all. Check with your community though as most communities will have a prescription drop-off a couple of times a year. It just happened that our community was having such an event that weekend.
At least I left the grocery store with only a few bottles left. I did learn though that if, IF, you have to throw prescriptions away, DO NOT flush them down the toilet. The pharmacist recommended instead of mixing the remaining prescriptions in cat litter or sand before throwing away. The answer I always wondered about.
I feel relieved that I know how to properly dispose of prescriptions. With all our medical problems this year, it seemed like we had a stock pile. This is not something I want with a curious toddler running around even if I do have them locked away.
Remember to keep the cabinet locked unless you are cleaning it out. Properly dispose of medicines whether taking it to your pharmacy or a designated community drop-off. Here is my next question: did you know that you are not supposed to store your prescriptions in a bathroom cabinet because the steam build-up from showers or baths can create an environment too warm to store the medicines?
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