Spilled pills out of bottle

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

It’s a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet and remind your patients to do the same. Protect our kids, families and environment by properly disposing of your unwanted and expired medicines. Medicines in the home are a leading cause of accidental poisoning and flushed or trashed medicines can end up polluting our waters. Rates of prescription drug abuse are alarmingly high – over half of teens abusing medicines get them from a family member or friend, including the home medicine cabinet and often without their knowledge.

Visit the United States Department of Justice Web site to access resources and materials to promote the National Prescription Drug Take-Back, Day, locate deposit collection sites as well as drug disposal information.

The CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain addresses this as a factor in the opioid epidemic as medications in the home that are no longer being used can lead to misuse.

For more information on our efforts to reduce and monitor Adverse Drug Events in our region as well as resources and tools, visit our Web site.