When was the last time you went through your medicine cabinet and disposed of unused or old medication? Has it been a while? Time to safely get rid of the meds from your wisdom tooth removal five years ago!
Opioid use disorder can often begin with the misuse of unused prescription opioids. If you have unused medication, you can get rid of them via prescription disposal bags to help prevent misuse.
Safely dispose of prescription drugs
Disposal bags help people safely dispose of prescription drugs by immediately and permanently deactivating them. Two of the most well-known prescription disposal bags are DisposeRx® and Deterra®.
These bags can be used for:
- Pills
- Patches
- Liquids
- Creams
- Films
Simply add the medication to be disposed to the bag and follow the instructions. Warm water is added to activate the pouch and chemically and physically deactivate the medication. In some cases, the disposal medium can be added to the original vial of medication, like in the case of DisposeRx®. These bags are safe for household trash disposal.
Safely store all medications
All medications should be stored in a place that can be locked so others cannot access them. This could be a cabinet, safe, or lockable medication box. For medications that need to be refrigerated, get a lockable box and keep it away from food items.
Contact PreventEd today for disposal bags
For simple, at-home disposal, contact us to get a free drug disposal pouch. These disposal bags can only be shipped within the state of Missouri from PreventEd. You can also drop off unused medications off at police stations, hospitals, or pharmacies that participate in take back programs. Click here for drop off locations.
In an emergency, medications can be flushed down the toilet.
