By Wanda Diaz, RN

After conducting a quick survey, most people have unused medication stored in their home somewhere. The majority responded they didnít use them and they expired or they didn't know how to discard them appropriately. Below are some tips on what to do.

Medicine take-back programs for disposal are a good way to remove expired, unwanted, or unused medicines from the home and reduce the chance that others may accidentally take the medication. Contact your city or county government's household trash and recycling service to see if there is a medicine take-back program in your community and learn about any special rules regarding which medicines can be taken back. You can also talk to your pharmacist to see if he or she knows of other medicine disposal programs in your area.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most drugs can be thrown in the household trash but consumers need to take certain precautions.

Disposal in Household Trash: If no medicine take-back program is available in your area, you can follow these simple steps to dispose of most medicines in the household trash.

Mix medicines (do NOT crush tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds;  place the mixture in a container such as a sealed plastic bag; and throw the container in your household trash

Flushing of Certain Medicines: There are a small number of medicines that may be especially harmful and, in some cases, fatal in a single dose if they are used by someone other than the person the medicine was prescribed for. For this reason, a few medicines have specific disposal instructions that indicate they should be flushed down the sink or toilet when they are no longer needed and when they cannot be disposed of through a drug take-back program. When you dispose of these medicines down the sink or toilet, they cannot be accidently used by children, pets, or anyone else.

This list from the FDA tells you which expired, unwanted, or unused medicines you should flush down the sink or toilet to help prevent danger to people and pets in the home. Flushing these medicines will get rid of them right away and help keep your family and pets safe.

FDA evaluates medicines for safety risks and will update the list as needed.

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

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

Oxycontin, tablets (extended release) * Oxycodone Hydrochloride

Percocet, tablets * Acetaminophen; Oxycodone Hydrochloride

Percodan, tablets * Aspirin; Oxycodone Hydrochloride

Xyrem, oral solution Sodium Oxybate

*These medicines have generic versions available or are only available in generic formulations. List revised: March 2010

You may have also received disposal directions from your pharmacist. If your medicine is on this list, and you did not receive information containing disposal instructions along with your dispensed prescription, you can find instructions on how to dispose of the medicines at DailyMed  by searching on the drug name, and then looking in one of the following sections of the prescribing information:

The FDA is committed to working with other Federal agencies and medicine manufacturers to develop alternative, safe disposal policies. If you have questions about disposing of your medicine, you can contact the FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).

DEA Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

New FDA Web Page Lists Disposal Instructions for Select Medicines 

Talk on Integrative Medicine  

 

 

Speaking of Healing: CenterPoint interview. . . Parveen Sondhi, MD  

 

CP: What attracted you to joining the Center?

PS: I believe in taking care of the whole person not just the medical complaint. This involves time. Appointments every 30 minutes were what I followed in my private practice. Some patients need more time than others and I try to individualize according to their needs. In addition the holistic care provided at this facility will only add to the care I can give to these women. Working at the Center gives me the opportunity to learn many new ways to help my patients

CP: Women often struggle hot flashes, memory issues, sleep deprivation and so forth from perimenopause. Are there some favorite suggestions you have to help women with these issues?

PS: Perimenopausal patients need a lot of time to explain the menopausal transition to them. A knowledgeable patient is better able to tolerate her symptoms. They must understand the need for a healthy nutritious diet, regular exercise and relaxation. Beyond that treatment is based on need and should be individualized. Hormone therapy may be part of it.

CP: Similarly, in the 20's and 30's what would you consider to be the top 5 recommendations for preserving a woman's health?

PS: Young adult women need to realize that future good health is to be earned and a healthy life style goes a long way. Regular preventative care should be encouraged at every visit.

The 20's and 30's are also an important time to pay attention to her reproductive health. She needs to be educated to prepare herself for safe motherhood. Regular GYN checkups and preconceptional visits are essential. A healthy nutritious diet and regular exercise will help prevent diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Making women aware of bone health will help them avoid osteoporosis in later years. I believe in helping women become more aware that they are caretakers of their immediate and extended family. If they are healthy their whole family will benefit.