Out With the Old: Safely Dispose of Expired Medications

When decluttering your countertops, bathrooms, or medicine cabinets, a perfect place to start is checking your over the counter medicines.

Spring cleaning is the perfect time to look through your medicine cabinet. Old and unused medicines can lose strength, cause confusion, and create real risks for children, pets and visitors. Clearing them out safely protects your home and your community.

Why it matters

Expired medicines may not work as well as they should. Some can break down over time. Unused prescription medicines, especially pain medicines, can also be taken by someone they were never meant for. Keeping only what you need is one of the simplest safety steps you can take.

What to look for

Set aside a few minutes and check each item. Remove anything that is:

• Past the expiration date on the label.
• No longer prescribed to anyone in your home.
• Discolored, crumbly, sticky or smells unusual.
• Missing its label, so you cannot tell what it is.
• Stored somewhere hot or damp, like a steamy bathroom.

Safe ways to dispose

The best option is a drug take back program. Many communities have permanent drop off kiosks, and national take back days happen during the year. Ask us about current options near Palmdale.

If a take back option is not available, many medicines can go in household trash. Mix them with something unappealing like used coffee grounds or cat litter, seal the mix in a bag or container, and scratch out personal information on the label before tossing the bottle. A small number of medicines carry special instructions to flush them. Check the label or ask a pharmacist first.

When in doubt, do not toss it or flush it. Ask your pharmacist.

Needles and other sharps should never go loose in the trash. Use a sharps container and ask us about proper disposal.

Store what you keep wisely

A cool, dry place out of reach of children and pets is best. A high shelf in a bedroom closet often works better than a bathroom cabinet. Keep medicines in their original containers so the label and instructions stay with them.

Our pharmacists are happy to help you sort through what to keep and what to let go.

Make it a yearly habit. Pick a date that is easy to remember, like the start of spring or a birthday, and go through your cabinet each time. While you are there, update your written list of current medicines and check that your first aid supplies are stocked. A clean, organized cabinet makes it easier to find what you need when it matters most.

Have questions about anything in this article? Call us at 661.480.2373 and talk with a CarePoint pharmacist. We are happy to help, and there is never a charge for a conversation.

This article is general education, not medical advice.