Take advantage of prescription drug take back day

Any of these scenarios sound familiar?

A doctor prescribed a three-week medication regimen, but the problem went away in 10 days. So, there was no need to take the remaining pills.

Fear of a potential opioid addiction led to a "toughing it out" mindset, and no use of the medication.

A side effect of a medication outweighed the benefits, so half of the prescription remained in the bottle.

Many of us have unused prescription medications in our medicine cabinets. According to the Pharmaceutical Product Stewardship Work Group, one third of Americans haven’t cleaned out their medicine cabinet in a year. Twenty percent haven’t done so in three years.

Some of these medications could be life-threatening if taken outside the parameters ordered by medical personnel. Almost all, even seemingly innocuous medications such as antibiotics, could cause problems — allergic reactions, for example — if taken by someone other than the prescribed patient. Also, "saving" a portion of a prescribed medication for use later "just in case" isn’t a good idea. Medical personnel prescribe medications after consulting with patients, fully understanding the current situation, including other medications used, existing or possible health conditions.

Properly disposing of these unused medications requires more than tossing them in a trashcan or dumping them down a sink.

Luckily, authorities are offering a chance for us to get rid of these medications in a safe, convenient way.

Saturday, April 27, is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

There are a number of drop-off sites in the region. In Cape Girardeau, those sites are Cape Girardeau Police Department, 2530 Maria Louise Lane; MediCenter Pharmacy, 465 S. Mount Auburn Road; Walgreens at 1 S. Kingshighway; and CVS at 2161 William St. Other locations in the area include Jackson Police Department, 525 S. Hope St., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; Twin City Pharmacy, 106 First St., Marble Hill; Advance Pharmacy, 110 N. Oak St., Advance; Scott County Sheriff’s Office, 131 S. New Madrid St., Benton; and Walgreens, 6 S. Perryville Blvd., Perryville; and Perry County Sheriff’s Office, 710 S. Kingshighway, in Perryville, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Visit the website www.MyOldMeds.com for a nationwide disposal site locator.

We encourage everyone to use this event as a reminder to check around your home for unused medications. Dispose of them properly to avoid any potential harm.