This coming Saturday, April 29th, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, part of the DEA’s National Take-Back Initiative.
Take-Back Day is the easiest and safest way to dispose of unused medications. It’s free, anonymous, and available to anyone with access to a drop off location. Take-Back Day collection sites accept prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, pet medications, medicated lotions and ointments, and pills in any packaging. However, there are limitations to what can be collected at National Take-Back Day drop off sites. Asthma inhalers, sharps, needles, IV bags, bloody or infectious waste, blood sugar equipment, and illicit drugs are among the items that should not be placed in the drop boxes.
Each drug take-back event collects around half a million pounds of unwanted, unused, or expired medications. That’s half a million pounds of drugs that might have been accidentally ingested by children and pets or intentionally misused or abused. Unfortunately, prescription drug addiction often starts with leftover medications from family medicine cabinets. Protect yourself and your loved ones by safely disposing of your unused or expired medications. Click here to find a collection site near you.
To learn more about proper medication storage and disposal, check out the following video from the experts on axial’s pharmacy team: