HSE wants you to ‘Dump’ your old medicines

THE roll out of a free service encouraging people to dispose of unused or out-of-date medicines will be available in Cork and Kerry from October 10 to November 20 as part of a new initiative aimed at curbing the amount of unwanted medicines in homes which are said to be responsible for up to 93 per cent of poisoning cases that occur in domestic settings.

The ‘Dispose of Unused Medicines Properly’ (DUMP) campaign is organised by the HSE with the backing of pharmacists in Cork and Kerry.

More than 250 pharmacies in Cork and Kerry are participating in the campaign for 2016 where the HSE and participating pharmacists will actively encourage people to return unwanted medicines so they can be disposed of safely.

Medicines build-up over time due to unfinished courses of antibiotics or a condition/illness that is no longer a problem where the remainder of the medication is not used. Also, older people or someone with an ongoing illness can often have large amounts of medicine at home and people should avail of the opportunity to get rid of unwanted medicines.

The National Suicide Research Foundation also report that approximately 50 cases of suicide each year involve drug overdoses and that about 8,000 attendances at Emergency Departments every year are due to deliberate drug overdoses.