New government guidelines on disposal of leftover medications:
- Don't flush unused drugs down the toilet, unless they're one of a handful that expressly advises that on the prescription label.
- Crush or dissolve leftover medicine in a little water. Then mix with a yucky substance — cat litter, coffee grounds, even dog waste — in a sealed plastic bag or other unmarked container, and put in the trash. That renders the drug unpalatable if a child, animal or drug abuser rummages through the trash.
- Remove and destroy the prescription label and any other personal identifying information from the original drug container before throwing it away.
- An alternative is to call pharmacies or local environmental or hazardous waste collection sites, to see if they run drug "take-back" programs.
- Some medicines should never be left over. Antibiotics in particular come in the exact quantity you're supposed to take. Stop before they're gone and your infection can return, possibly in a harder-to-treat form.
Sources: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Steve - this is important to remember because if we do not properly dispose of them, it goes back into the environment and circulates into the water supply and soil.
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