Aware Fact

The majority of teens who abuse prescription drugs say they are easy to get and
are often free.

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Medication Disposal

Get Informed on What to Do with Unused Medications

Many homes end up with unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications. Old prescriptions left in medicine cabinets or elsewhere in the home can often be an easy source for those who would like to abuse prescription medications. They may also cause confusion for people who are already taking a large number of medications. Further, some medications, including fentanyl patches, should be properly disposed of by flushing to prevent accidental ingestion by children and pets.

Learn more – click on the topic below to learn about safe medication disposal options and other related issues.

Three Options for Safe Disposal

You can help to prevent accidental or intentional use of these unwanted medications by getting rid of them safely. There are generally three options for residents to safely and legally dispose of unwanted, expired, or unneeded medications:

Details on each option are below, or click on the option to get more details.

Option 1: Disposing of Unused Drugs

Through Local Medication Disposal Programs
Drug take-back locations are available in some states and communities, as are regularly scheduled drug take-back events. For example, some local hazardous waste disposal programs will accept medications for disposal, and some pharmacies may offer take-back disposal programs for certain medications. Some programs and drop-off events cannot accept controlled substances (see definition and examples below), so check ahead to learn which medications you may return.

Generally, sites that can accept prescription controlled substances are coordinated with local law enforcement, and often the drug take-back location will be your local police station. For example, drop box programs in Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Illinois partner with police and sheriff departments and can accept unused medications, including controlled substances, for disposal.

To get information about drug take-back initiatives or events in your area, click on Get Local or check with your state board of pharmacy, your local government, or your pharmacist.

Option 2: Disposing of Unused Drugs at DEA Nationwide Drug Take-Back Sites

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) coordinates an event that brings medication collection sites to your community – these sites can accept unwanted prescription controlled substances, other prescription drugs, and nonprescription drugs for disposal. The next DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, 2012. DEA has been holding these Drug Take-Back events every six months since September 2010.

On this day, you can bring unwanted, unneeded medications to a participating site for disposal. Sites will accept pills, both prescription and nonprescription, for disposal. You may dump the pills into the container provided at the site or dump bottle with pills. You may scratch the name off the bottle, and the service is anonymous with no questions asked. DEA coordinates with the local law enforcement and community partners to provide thousands of sites across the country, many of them at police departments, so that the unwanted drugs are disposed of safely and legally.

DEA will post an online locator to its Web site in March 2012. You can use the online locator to find a site near you; once the locator is live, keep checking for the site nearest to you because sites will be added up until April 28, 2012.

Option 3: Guidelines for Safely Disposing of Unused Prescription Drugs at Home

When a drug disposal program is not available in your area, you should follow the FDA guidelines below that explain how to safely dispose of unused, unwanted medications at home.

FDA provides a consumer Web page that includes instructions for safely disposing of unwanted prescription drugs, a slideshow illustrating the steps, and a flyer that can be downloaded or printed for easy reference. Here is a summary of the steps for home disposal:

  1. Check the label on your medication and follow any instructions for safe disposal provided.
  2. Do not flush the drugs down the toilet, unless the label says to flush them. If the label says to flush the drugs, that’s because the FDA and the drug manufacturer determined that was the safest method of disposal to prevent harm to others. The FDA list of drugs that should be flushed is available on the FDA Web site.
  3. If there are no instructions on the label, dispose of the drugs in the home garbage. But first, take them out of the container and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or cat litter. Seal the mixture in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container that can be disposed of in the garbage.

Before disposing of drugs in the garbage, check with your local government to find out if other methods of disposal are recommended or required by law. To find out which guidelines to use in your state, you could also check with your state board of pharmacy or your pharmacist. State laws for medication disposal should be followed if they are stricter than federal guidelines.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also encourages people to contact their local waste management authority to learn about medication disposal guidelines for their area.

Again, if you are still unsure about how to safely dispose of your unused medications, check with your pharmacist, state board of pharmacy, or other local government agency. They are there to help!

Medication Take-Back Program Resources

SMARXT
SMARXT DISPOSAL™, a public awareness campaign, provides videos and more information on safe medication disposal. SMARXT also encourages participation in DEA Prescription Drug Take-Back events. SMARXT DISPOSAL targets consumers to provide guidance on proper disposal of unused and expired prescription and over-the-counter medications. SMARXT DISPOSAL also raises awareness about the potential environmental impacts from improperly disposed medications.

Get Local
Check the Get Local section of AWARERX.ORG and click on a state for information about local medication disposal programs and events.

When Should I Flush Unneeded Medications or Used Patches?

As noted above, FDA recommends that certain unused drugs and used medication patches should be flushed to avoid accidental ingestion by children, pets, and others in the home.

For example, FDA published a safety alert urging patients and caregivers that use or administer fentanyl patches to properly use, store, and dispose of them. The FDA safety alert provides details on securely storing and properly applying fentanyl patches to avoid children’s accidental exposure.

FDA advises that used or unneeded patches are properly disposed of by flushing. The adhesive side of the patch should be folded together and then the patch should be flushed down the toilet. FDA notes that the agency “recognizes that there are environmental concerns about flushing medicines down the toilet. However, FDA believes that the risk associated with accidental exposure to this strong narcotic medicine outweighs any potential risk associated with disposal by flushing. When the patches are no longer needed, disposing by flushing completely eliminates the risk of harm to people in the home.”

Also, certain other medications, such as OxyContin®, Percocet®, and Dilaudid®, should be disposed of by flushing when you have unneeded tablets. The complete list of drugs that should be flushed is available on the FDA Web site.

Safely Store the Medications You Will Keep

Now that you have made plans to safely dispose of your unused, unwanted medications, how can you keep the medications you need stored safely in your home? You may want to lock your medications in a secure cabinet or a medicine safe. In particular, you should lock your controlled substance (see definition below) prescription medications. See General Medication Safety Tips for more information on safely using medications.

More Information on Federal Drug Disposal Law and Controlled Substances

Under the current federal law, a law enforcement agent must be present if controlled substances (see below for definition) are being accepted at a drug take-back event. Law enforcement must also coordinate with their local DEA office in order to hold these events. On October 12, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act (S 3397). Regulations are now being written so that certain approved entities and authorities can accept unused controlled substance medications from patients. These regulations are being written to ensure that unused controlled substance drugs do not fall into the wrong hands.

DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart stated that “The amount of prescription drugs turned in by the American public during the past three Take-Back Day events speaks volumes about the need to develop a convenient way to rid homes of unwanted or expired prescription drugs.” Leonhart also said that “DEA remains hard at work to establish just such a drug disposal process, and will continue to offer take-back opportunities until the proper regulations are in place.” Past take-back events took place on September 25, 2010, April 30, 2011, and October 29, 2011 and DEA reports that it collected over 498.5 tons of unused pharmaceuticals during these three nationwide drug take-back day events.

What are Prescription Drugs?

FDA determines whether drugs approved for medical use are prescription drugs or non-prescription drugs. Certain drugs must be prescribed by your health care provider because they require your provider’s direction and supervision. The health care provider must be licensed to prescribe drugs. For example, physicians, dentists, and nurse practitioners are licensed to dispense certain drugs.

Non-prescription drugs that have been approved by the FDA are considered safe to use without your doctor’s supervision. These drugs are referred to as over-the-counter drugs or OTCs.

Both prescription and non-prescription drugs are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

What is a Controlled Substance?

Controlled substances are drugs that have some potential for abuse or dependence. These drugs are regulated by the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) – this law helps the US Government fight against the abuse of these drugs.

The CSA divides controlled substance drugs into five categories called schedules.

Illegal Controlled Substances
Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse and currently have no accepted medical use. Examples include heroin, methamphetamine, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

Controlled Substances that May be Prescribed
Drugs placed in Schedules II - V have an accepted medical use. If approved by FDA, drugs in these schedules could be prescribed to you by your doctor. The schedule number lets you know the potential for abuse and the severity of the effects if a person abuses the drug.

Schedule II drugs have the highest potential for abuse. Abuse of Schedule II drugs may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. Examples include morphine, oxycodone, and methadone.

Schedule III drugs have less potential for abuse than the drugs or other substances in schedules I and II. Abuse of Schedule III drugs may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence. Examples include anabolic steroids, codeine and hydrocodone with aspirin or Tylenol®, and certain barbiturates.

Schedule IV drugs have a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in Schedule III. Abuse of Schedule IV drugs may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence compared with Schedule III drugs. Examples include Valium® and Xanax®.

Schedule V drugs have a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in Schedule IV. Abuse of Schedule V drugs may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence compared with Schedule IV drugs. Cough medicines with codeine are examples of Schedule V drugs.

More information about controlled substances is available on the DEA Web site.