How should you properly dispose of excess prescription drugs?

As a pharmacist, I often get asked about disposing of prescription drugs.

One may have pain medication left over from a past surgery, or a daily medication was changed which leaves leftovers. There may be a recent death of a loved one and you don’t know what to do with their leftover medications.

These examples all end with excess, unused medications. These unused medications could get in the wrong hands and could lead to abuse, addiction and even death from overdose. According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs (takebackday.dea.gov).

Many times, these drugs are from the excess, unused medications that are in our homes. That is why the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has developed the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. They usually have a day twice a year designated for prescription drug disposal.

This year, the first event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27.

Anyone can anonymously take their unused pills or patches (no liquids, needles or sharps) to two different police departments in our area:

* Cape Girardeau Police Department, 2530 Maria Louise Lane;

* Jackson Police Department/Fire Complex, 525 S. Hope Street).

If you can’t make it on the designated day and times, there is an ongoing opportunity to drop off unused medications. Permanent collection boxes are located at both police stations, and the service is offered free of charge.

I recommend blocking out your personal information or removing the label with your personal information to protect your privacy.

Disposing of our excess, unused medication is a great way to protect our community, friends and family from future abuse, addiction and possible death from overdose.

~Jennifer McCoy is a pharmacist at MediCenter Pharmacy in Cape Girardeau.