Drugs are ending up in our water supply!
A U.S. Geological Survey found traces of over-the-counter and prescription medicines in 80 percent of the streams they sampled. Other studies have found that estrogen in the water supply is causing sexual abnormalities in fish. Mixing medicines into the environment also makes some germs more resistant to certain drugs, and flushed medicines can kill helpful bacteria in septic systems.
So how do you dispose of unused medicine? The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly released new guidelines on proper medicine disposal:
- Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers
- Crush solid medications or dissolve them in water (this applies to liquid medicine as well)
- Combine the medication with cat litter, coffee grounds, sawdust, or other absorbent material that is unappealing to pets and people
- Place this mixture in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, and throw them in the trash.
- Remove and destroy all identifying personal information (i.e., the prescription label) from the original medication container.
- Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs doing so.
- Take advantage of community pharmaceutical take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Some communities have pharmaceutical take-back programs or community solid-waste programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Where these exist, they are a good way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals.
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Drugs You Should Flush
According to the FDA, these drugs should be flushed down the
toilet rather than tossed in the trash. Refer to the printed material accompanying your medication for specific instructions.
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Actiq (fentanyl citrate)
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Tequin Tablets (gatifloxacin)
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Daytrana Transdermal Patch (methylphenidate)
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Zerit for Oral Solution (stavudine)
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Duragesic Transdermal System (fentanyl)
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Meperidine HCl Tablets
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OxyContin Tablets (oxycodone)
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Percocet (Oxycodone and Acetaminophen)
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Avinza Capsules (morphine sulfate)
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Xyrem (Sodium Oxybate)
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Baraclude Tablets (entecavir)
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Fentora (fentanyl buccal tablet)
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Reyataz Capsules (atazanavir sulfate)
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