Take a Look into Your Medicine Cabinet

I will bet if you look into your medicine cabinet (or linen closet or toiletry kit), you will find many bottles of unused medicines. Sometimes, our prescriptions are changed, and we are left with a 90-day supply of a drug we no longer need.  Many of us have our medicines on a 90-day auto-refill because it is cost-effective, and easier. While I believe it is essential to be sure we always have extra medication in case of an emergency, many of us pick up our prescription even if we are not sure we will need it because “it is covered by insurance and is only $10, $15 or even free.”  I don’t know about all the pharmacies, but we get some of our medication from CVS and selected “auto refill” at some point. All of our medicines from CVS are filled, whether we need them or not. We receive a text when the prescription is ready; including the ones we take PRN (as needed) because our medical providers will often check for 3 or more refills. That’s a lot of medication when it’s only taken occasionally! I will mention that Costco (which we also use for cost-effectiveness and in my opinion is one of the best pharmacies), does not offer auto refills; they will send a text asking us if we need the medication and will fill it out upon request.

I recently was cleaning out my linen cabinet where we keep our medications and was surprised at how many medications we no longer take. I am amazed of the waste.

Today, I received an email from a colleague asking a fundamental question. She had a client who had passed away; the family had leftover medication, all of it in sealed bottles and packages. They wanted to donate it to someone else because they did not want it wasted. There was insulin, other diabetic medications, and even an unopened bottle of morphine! While their thoughts are admirable, nobody can use the medicine, and they will go to waste. We legally can’t donate scheduled medications (morphine), and nobody can and should take a drug they were not prescribed.

So, what do we do with unused medication? That can be a challenge. Please do not dispose of it in the toilet; it goes into our water supply and is a pollutant. Pharmacies used to take unused medications, but they no longer do. Also, hospitals often have a few days a year where you can bring unused or expired medication. Many police stations have a box to which you can bring unused drugs, and they will dispose of them properly.

Take a moment to look in your medicine cabinet. If you no longer need a medication, even if it is OTC (over-the-counter, for example, something for heartburn or an allergy pill), gather them and dispose of them properly. In addition to the above, make a list of all of your medications, dosages, when you take them and who prescribed them.  Perhaps you don’t need all you are take. And just because you can buy 48 pills for a little more money, than 24 pills, if you don’t need them, don’t buy them. It’s better for you and the environment.

Stay well