I'm on a lot of different medications. It follows that I dispose of a lot too - for all kinds of reasons... Some are out of date. The dosage of a prescription is changed, necessitating different tablets. Then there are the used up containers that I don't want to throw away with the regular rubbish etc. etc.
I save the meds for disposal, and turn up at the chemist - who won't take it. I've tried several. They all say they haven't got room. So I'm stuck with it. And it's really annoying.
I guess I could try to get rid of it more frequently, but it would feel like it was yet another thing to think about, and that I was doing so all the time.
How do you dispose of yours?
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Challiefan
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The advice given is always to take unused medication to a chemist so I don't understand why they refuse. Have you asked your GP surgery about it?
To save the nature, I had collected 2 pounds od used batteries. Tryed to dispose them, but nobody wanted them. Finally, at the store, they accepted them (I believe they threw them into a dumpster, as soon as I turned the corner, lol).
I come from "different part" of the world, lol. Still, we are trying to keep up, but rarely succeeding. In about 200 years, it is said to be better! Joking, of course, we have Novak Djokovic by now! So sorry he did not meet with Alcatraz!
I don't understand the chemists' problem - they all have a system for drug disposal and shouldn't need room for them. Are you turning up with an awful lot of drugs at one time? Very strange.
Perhaps ask what you are supposed to do with them - quote their answer to your GP clinic and see what they have to say.
My regular chemist takes my unwanted drugs but the most I have ever returned is 3 opened packets.
I've tried at least 4 different chemists - probably more.
I turn up with a plastic bag full, which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. My regular monthly medication is almost twice that. Always the same reply, they haven't got room.
I suppose I could mention it to my surgery. Might be worth a try...
Failing that, the meds are just dumped - which is what I guess most people have to do. Makes a complete nonsense of government policy though, doesn't it.
I return them to the Pharmacy but if yours won't take them then have a word with your G P surgery and seek their advice, you are quite right to be concerned about safe disposal and so should they be.
Hi, try returning them in smaller batches that might make it easier. Failing that does your recycling centre have "waste for energy" skip where waste is taken and burned to produce electricity? because if so you could throw it in there in a sealed plastic bag.
I don't know which country you are in, but I would suggest that the pharmacist is breaking the law by refusing to take your discarded medicines. There is a good reason why this route has been suggested and his actions is putting people at risk from those who will pollute the normal rubbish or worse leave medicines, potentially fatal, lying around.
Go to your local trading standards or environmental health department at your local council and report the pharmacist's refusal there. They will take action.
Yes, I used to be the 'portfolio holder' for the Environmental Health section of a District Council. (i.e. councillor nominally in charge). I know our council was in charge of all waste collection including hazardous and clinical wastes, which I am sure would have included unused pharmaceuticals. At the very least the EHO or his equivalent in your local council should be able to tell you what to do with your unused medicines and explain the situation regarding the pharmacies. The local authority will have an obligation to collect them and dispose of them, even if through some privatised concern which is contracted to do so.
Challiefan, I had exactly the same problem here in Ireland. Frustrating and stress inducing I know. So eventually, by the time I had accumulated the equivalent of a Creosus fortune in unused Diazepam and other stuff, I decided to just flush down the toilet over period of one week. I was unaware at this stage that some of our retreated sewage is piped back into our drinking water supply.
A few weeks later my local radio started reporting the apparent 'zombification' of a village nearby. I kept schtum and only journeyed out to buy bottled water over the following few weeks. Lesson learned. Only positive is that the local village which used to have a serious anti-social behaviour problem with it's youth is now ranked as one of the most peaceful places to live in the UK.
I digress. More recently, still having quite a stock of unused meds, I visited a pharmacy about 30 miles away which I'd never used before. I entered the premises wearing army ex-surplus fatigues, a black balaclava and black gloves. I politely asked the assistant if she could solve my unused meds problem? She seemed somewhat shocked but immediatedly took my meds and I assume disposed of safely. Problem sorted. Hope this helps?
I love your humour about the social problems disappearing due to your discarded valium down the loo! I wonder what the fish in the river did?
Joking apart, as a long term benzodiazepam user in the distant past, that stuff can make people violent as well as 'tranquilised'.. (just like alcohol in fact as it affects the same receptors). so I doubt that is the explanation for the sudden calm in the local village!
Our local pharmacy has always accepted unused drugs. Might there be another pharmacy in your area that would accept yours, perhaps in several small quantities?
I return the odd unsuitable item as soon as possible. A friend once burnt one packet she’d been prescribed having read the info and realised it was quite unsuitable for her - I returned a similar pack to the pharmacist who was very understanding.
I have not had a problem, so far, of disposing of any. I take them to a local pharmacy, usually the one which dispenses my meds. I also take my empty blister packs to Superdrug for recycling.
I didn't know that. I shall ask in Superdrug about re-cycling the blister packs next time we are there. Thanks. Funnily enough my wife commented about the blister packs not being recycled yesterday when I was putting my tablets in my boxes and remembering about her old local pharmacist taking the glass pill bottles back and sterilising them when she was young.
I always take it to the chemist and have had no problems. I have another bag to go this week as kept hold of some while in date in case I have to go back on. I have been prescribed furosemide again last week so knew I had some at home but when I went through my meds box found that it was out of date so then went through allmeds that I had been keeping and found more that was out of date so now have a small bag to take to the chemist next time we are in town. I would ask your GP's surgery what you should do if the chemist's won't take it.
I don’t know how your post got on to batteries, but regarding your unused medication chemists are supposed to take them by law as they have special disposal methods because some medicines are toxic and could be dangerous to others.
Disposing of Medicine at a Pharmacy
When disposing of medicine in the UK, it is recommended to take the medication to your local pharmacy, whether or not they have expired.
Pharmacies have the ability to dispose of medication in the safest way possible, by following UK legislation to significantly reduce any risk of harm.
Pity the B......s won't take them. Any time I ask they look at me as if I'm making some sort of alien request.
After they refuse to take them, I ask if they have any alternative suggestions. They best they can suggest is that I try another chemist. Really bloody useless.
We have looked after my elderly parents and my wife's elderly Uncle and Aunt. Because my Mum and Dad had monthly repeat prescriptions they thought they had to throw out any unused medication prescribed the month before - goodness knows how long that had been going on before we found that out and stopped this wastage - or how many elderly slightly confused people do this?
Then we found four bags for life bags full of unused - some unopened boxes of tablets in my wife's Uncle's wardrobe - Honeslty this is true. We were amazed at how they had managed to keep so healthy - maybe because they hadn't taken the medication - heart medication being some of it, which would probably cause side effects to be treated by more medication. Some of it was up to 20 years out of date! Yes these poor lovely elderly people were confused my Mum and Parkinson's and lewey body dementia my Dad was forgetful and just worn out from trying to look after my Mum on his own before my wife gave up work and we moved in to look after them - they lived a 3 hour drive away from us and did have a carer and a cleaner and my sister being 10 years younger than me and still working full time and looking after grandchildren did her best with them but obviously hadn't been there on the day they went through their medication and threw out last months left over medication and replaced it with the new. Of course yes there was vascular dementia and on my wife's Aunt's side an amount of control exercised by her horrible husband who practically stopped her from doing anything at all other than sitting in the chair and doing as she was told. I digress but had no problem giving these 4 bags for life packed with out of date medication to the pharmacist in our local Boots the chemist - infact we had quite a laugh about it with the pharmacist. Another funny was that Auntie had been prescribed low dose effervescent aspirin - the idea being that it would ensure that she also drank something in the morning as she was often de hydrated - but she took it with just a glass of water with her other medication . No problem the pharmacist said as it wouldn't make much difference to the work they would do but did change them. Then at a later date she came down stairs with a 1lb jam jar half full of the tiny effervescent aspirin which she had just taken out of the doset box and put in a jar - so at some time she had remembered she had to do something different with them but just didn't. Don't know where they had been keeping those as we had had a good look through most cupboards and wardrobes abd drawers by that time to try and find anything like that.
As we now say - if I get to that stage shoot me! However, we did have some fun times with them and enjoyed a good laugh with them taking them out for meals and to the beach etc. and going through old memories with them of when we were all so much younger. they all lived well into their 80's Uncle living until nearly 91 but by that time had all been in a home for 2 or 3 years. Bless them.
I return them to the pharmacy that I got them from, they cannot refuse your return for safe disposal. You cannot throw them in the bin as they might end up in the wrong hands. You cannot flush them either there's enough pollution. If my dose of a particular drug is upped, I ask the pharmacy for the difference in uppage. if possible, so I add to what I already have. You must be storing or being over prescribed drugs for them to be out of date. Or not rotating them. But I have to say my pharmacist is absolutely amazing.
I'm glad your pharmacy is more accommodating than all those I've visited. You say they cannot refuse. I'm here to tell you that in the real world, they do.
Well I do live in the real world., pharmacy's who dispensed the drugs are obliged to except your return of them! NHS england will collect these drugs for safe disposal upon the pharmacy's request and at regular intervals, they also will have accumulated expired drugs. Suggest you search engine returning drugs to pharmacy's and see for yourself. I'd keep the page available to wave at your uncooperative pharmacist. Good luck.
Take mine back to a chemist, sometimes empty the pills into a plastic bag, and put the containers into recycling bin. They always ask if there are controlled meds but no problem there as e don't have any. Have you only got the one chemist to return them to?
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It does feel better to do it once you do know. I'm amazed at how quickly they build up!
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