What do you do with old medications?

tangerinemachine

iwubrory

I voted "Hide them..." because they usually sit in the cabinet until I clean it out which has happened like twice in the last four years. If I'm getting rid of them I either throw them away or send them down the garbage disposal depending on what type of medication it is.

Oh and you know, I sold the Vicodin that I didn't need after I had my wisdom teeth taken out. $-)

Not really. See? I can use the giant space thing too, just not all the freaking time!

hammysmommy

SS - Save/Hide them in the cabinet for possible future use - those old containers of pain killers and antibiotics might come in useful during/after the ebola/zombie-pocalypse....

I should have thought of selling them though - we could use the $$ and we could probably get $25/pill for the oxycontin... (maybe, I don't really know how much it goes for...)  jk btw  I'm too much of a goodie too shoes (two shoes - who wears more than two shoes?)

I should keep them set aside for the special days at the police station/hospital where they'll dispose of them for us...  Flushing them is bad...

SuzyQq02

SS: I fully own this is something I'm a little bit ridiculous about, but keep in mind I'm a therapist... I talk with people about medication all. the. time. so I'm hyper vigilant.

I break up pills and mix them with coffee grounds (that I bust open KCups to get), the put them in a freezer bag or an old PB jar. 

Unsolicited PSA: Most of our kiddos are little, so it's not as big an issue now, but get in the habit of disposing of medication in a timely and safe fashion now. I can't tell you the number of people I've worked with who's first experience getting high was out of someone's medicine cabinet. Heroin use is reaching nearly epidemic proportions in some communities in the northeast, and the entry point for many who at one point said they would NEVER be IV users is pills, which get expensive to maintain and then they turn to the much cheaper alternative of heroin. It's nearly a public health imperative that people learn how to help keep meds for just the intended recipient!

iwubrory

Thanks @SuzyQq02 That's extremely valuable advice.

narcissticbeaut

i voted hide them because they just sit in the medicine cabinet. i have expired prescriptions from 09 when i was in my car accident. its bad. i should get rid of them. or throw them in the bug out bag. like @hammysmommy said --zombie apocalypse and stuff. they might come in handy

JackieP1023

I voted SS. It depends on the medication. OTC stuff I put in the trash (never thought twice about it). Prescriptions go to the police department safe pill drop box thing.