Safely Dispose Prescription Drugs on Drug Take Back Day
4/19/2023
Andrea Modlin, Aspirus Pharmacy Resident.
Last October, the
United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) removed over 640,000 pounds
of unneeded medication from nearly 5,000 Drug Take Back Day collection sites
across the nation. The DEA has removed almost 17 million pounds of unused prescription
medications since the initiative began over a decade ago.
Drug Take Back Day
occurs biannually, with the first one this year falling on Saturday, April 22.
“It’s a day for people to get rid of old, unused or unwanted medications safely
and conveniently. It’s also a time to raise awareness and educate everybody about
the risks of keeping their old medications,” says Andrea Modlin, Aspirus
Pharmacy Resident.
Too often these
medications find their way into the wrong hands, leading to drug addiction,
accidental poisoning, overdose or abuse. Modlin says “it’s important to dispose
of old drugs properly and one way to do that is to drop them off at a
medication drop-box.”
How do you get started?
Simply open your
medicine cabinet, gather the medications you no longer need, remove or cover up
prescription or personal information, and put them in a zip-top bag.
What’s allowed: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and
over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, non-aerosol sprays, inhalers,
creams, vials, and pet medications
What’s not: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, aerosol cans,
bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), mercury
thermometers, personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens,
etc...), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas).
What next?
Find a medication
drop-box near you (Wisconsin
and Upper
Michigan) and dispose your bag of medications. Aspirus has drop-boxes
located at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and Aspirus Medford Hospital, but there are
others located throughout the United States. It’s okay if you can’t make it on
Drug Take Back Day. Drugs can be disposed anytime throughout the year.
If you’d like to learn
more about safe medication disposal and all available options, visit doseofrealitywi.gov.
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