Where can I take them? A while back someone suggested Walgreen's but when I asked, they said no. I have Ziploc bag full to get rid of.

Have a cat? Add them to the cat litter the next time you put it out in the trash.

[www.fda.gov]

If no instructions are given on the drug label and no take-back program is available in your area, throw the drugs in the household trash, but first:
Take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter. The medication will be less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to people who may intentionally go through your trash.
Put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.

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Outside the sheriff's main office in one of the cities here (Lakewood, CA) they have a drop off container (or at least used to have one)...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2012 04:24PM by MikeF.

Since I don't know, I'll ask...

Why not flush them?

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You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands...
- For example, if they are wrapped around your throat she's probably slightly upset.

What State are you in?

California's State Government has a website which can point you to nearby drug disposal/collection facilities...other States may have a similar service available.

Quote
Ombligo
Since I don't know, I'll ask...

Why not flush them?

That's what they do at the Pain Center I go to if you change Meds, you must bring in the old stuff.
You even have to watch them flush it and sign off on it that they actually did it.

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Grateful11

Quote
Ombligo
Since I don't know, I'll ask...

Why not flush them?

We knew an R/N who said this was the way to go, though since that time we've also heard that this is actively discouraged because of what it can do to rivers/streams even after tertiary wastewater treatment.

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uh yeah, flushing them is NOT advisable.

I think there was just a nationwide take-back program a couple of weeks ago. My sister, who sends helpful emails out on occasion had even sent me a notice about it (even though we don't have any meds to get rid of).

You just missed the National Take Back Day 4/28/12

[www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov]

You should not flush them, please look for another local source to dispose or hold them for next years Take Back day.

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Mac Pro, iPad, iPhone, iPod(s), ?tv

Another "Do Not Flush" advocate here.

Even a sealed bag in the garbage can be undesirable if your local dump is not in a location that is protected from runoff, or has it treated.

Edit: There is a short list of medicines that are recommended to be flushed because of the potential of abuse.

MEDICINES RECOMMENDED FOR DISPOSAL BY FLUSHING

. . . . Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Active Ingredient
Abstral, tablets (sublingual). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fentanyl
Actiq, oral transmucosal lozenge * . . . . . . . . . . . . Fentanyl Citrate
Avinza, capsules (extended release) . . . . . . . . . . . Morphine Sulfate
Daytrana, transdermal patch system. . . . . . . . . . . Methylphenidate
Demerol, tablets *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meperidine Hydrochloride
Demerol, oral solution *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meperidine Hydrochloride
Diastat/Diastat AcuDial, rectal gel. . . . . . . . . . . . . Diazepam
Dilaudid, tablets *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hydromorphone Hydrochloride
Dilaudid, oral liquid *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hydromorphone Hydrochloride
Dolophine Hydrochloride, tablets *. . . . . . . . . . . Methadone Hydrochloride
Duragesic, patch (extended release) *. . . . . . . . . Fentanyl
Embeda, capsules (extended release). . . . . . . . . Morphine Sulfate; Naltrexone Hydrochloride
Exalgo, tablets (extended release). . . . . . . . . . . Hydromorphone Hydrochloride
Fentora, tablets (buccal). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fentanyl Citrate
Kadian, capsules (extended release). . . . . . . . . . . Morphine Sulfate
Methadone Hydrochloride, oral solution *. . . . . . . Methadone Hydrochloride
Methadose, tablets *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Methadone Hydrochloride
Morphine Sulfate, tablets (immediate release) *. . . . . . Morphine Sulfate
Morphine Sulfate, oral solution *. . . . . . . . . . . . .Morphine Sulfate
MS Contin, tablets (extended release) *. . . . . . . Morphine Sulfate
Nucynta ER, tablets (extended release). . . . . . . Tapentadol
Onsolis, soluble film (buccal). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fentanyl Citrate
Opana, tablets (immediate release). . . . . . . . . . . Oxymorphone Hydrochloride
Opana ER, tablets (extended release). . . . . . . . . Oxymorphone Hydrochloride
Oramorph SR, tablets (sustained release). . . . . . . Morphine Sulfate
Oxecta, tablets (immediate release). . . . . . . . . . . Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride, capsules. . . . . . . . . . . Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycodone Hydrochloride, oral solution. . . . . . . . . Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Oxycontin, tablets (extended release) *. . . . . . . . . Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Percocet, tablets *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acetaminophen; Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Percodan, tablets *. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aspirin; Oxycodone Hydrochloride
Xyrem, oral solution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sodium Oxybate

Looks like it is nearly exclusively items containing morphine, oxycodone, or related drugs. Gonna be a lot of wacked out fish in the bay tonight.

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in tha 510.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2012 07:30PM by Filliam H. Muffman.

Flushing is a bad idea: sewage treatment facilities do not filter out that stuff. I've got a bag of old meds that I'd like to dispose of responsibly.

My local DVS took my mother's meds off my hands after she passed away. Try a local pharm.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)

"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing."
-- Edmund Burke
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

Be very careful disposing of anything containing Codeine, Oxycodone, or Hydrocodone. Best sending them off to someone who has experience disposing of them. I'll PM you my address.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

Don't flush them...

Quote
Ombligo
Since I don't know, I'll ask...

Why not flush them?

you pretty much have to if you ingested them first .........





---------------------------------
incineration at high temp might be the most environmentally friendly
does your trash go to a waste ---> energy burn facility ?






edit: craigslist



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2012 02:00AM by billb.

Laws vary by state. In Ohio, pharmacists are encouraged to collect them and dispose of them. But there isn't a coherent approach.. Much like there isn't a coherent approach towards safely disposing of hazardous household wastes.

I would recommend you look for a pharmaceutical disposal program.. call your local pharmacies, check with your state's Dept of Health.

My doctor said many prescriptions can be used beyond the expiration dates, but they may just have lost some degree of potency. In many cases the expiration date is simply a ploy to sell more medications. I've yet to see an obituary, "died from using expired date medication".

As with most products, a safety factor is built in. I would think that they are good for a year past the expiration date.

Our local Rite-Aid charges a fee for each prescription brought in for disposal.

Not a very good solution to the problem, IMO.

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“There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow men. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well.”

- Walter Reuther