Whether spring cleaning or making a New Year’s resolution to be better organized, don’t forget that not just the kitchen has products with best used by dates.
Prescription medications and over-the-counter medications, including vitamins and other dietary supplements, all have expiration/best used by dates. Prescription medications typically have a one-year shelf life, while vitamins and supplements have a two-year shelf life.
To dispose of supplements and medications that have expired or are no longer needed, many cities have hazardous waste collection sites that will take these items. The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regularly schedules National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days.Typically these days occur in October and April. During these events, unwanted medications can be dropped off at collection sites for free.
If waiting for a specified day is just too long, many pharmacy chains such as CVS and Walgreens have medication disposal envelopes which can be used to send unwanted medications directly to be destroyed and some store locations have drop boxes.
If you elect to dispose of unused medications in your trash, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers these guidelines for handling:
• Take the pills out of their original containers.
• Mix the pills with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or cat litter to make the pills less attractive to children or pets and unrecognizable to someone who might intentionally go through your trash.
• Put the mixture in a sealed container or bag to prevent the pills from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.
• These products should not be burned, so those in rural areas with burn barrels should not put these items in the burn barrel.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy recommends that before disposing of prescription medication bottles, the label either be removed, or covered with a permanent marker or duct tape to prevent re-ordering by someone else.
Recommended storage instructions are noted on vitamin and supplement bottles, and on the insert that accompanies prescription medications. As a general rule, products should be stored at room temperature, away from both excessive light and humidity.
Article by Jill Turner, President of Cooper Concepts
Reference
National Take Back Initiative
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines
FDA How to Dispose of Unused Medicines
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/UnderstandingOver-the-CounterMedicines/ucm107163.pdf
