What to do with unwanted and expired medication

IF YOU were to take a look into your bathroom cabinet or the first aid draw in your kitchen at home how likely would you be to find medication that was prescribed to you that you no longer take? Perhaps you have medication that has long passed its expiry date.

According to a study published by the Department of Health, an estimated £300 million worth of medical products are wasted in England every year. With the standard cost of UK medical prescriptions totalling £8.80 per person, £300 million amounts to around 37 million individual prescriptions.

Medicines are designed to be stored in specific temperature conditions and most of our homes do not comply with that. If you have been hoarding unused antibiotics or painkillers “just in case” it is time to get rid of them. Not only are these out-of-date and no longer required pharmaceuticals taking up space they are potentially dangerous.

Around 5,000 children a year are admitted to hospital for taking medication they have found in their own home. Keeping surplus tablets around the house could also cause confusing to someone taking multiple medications, particularly elderly people.

Healthwatch has just published a case study about local resident Grant who no longer needed to take his blood thinning medication or the beta blockers he was prescribed.

He was advised by his GP to hold on to his unused medication for a month or so, just in case he needed them, then throw them in the bin. His GP said that he should not go out of his way to return them to the pharmacy as they would do the same.

Grant had concerns about throwing his unused medication away. Children could take the medicine from the bin and medicines that have been flushed down a toilet could end up in landfill and leach into the waterways, harming the environment and wildlife.

The best way of ensuring any expired or surplus medication is disposed of safely and responsibly is to return it to your local pharmacy. UK pharmacies are obliged to accept return medication and they will arrange for its safe disposal.

CHECK EXPIRY DATES: many medicines become ineffective when they pass their expiry date which can be a risk to health. They could also do harm if by someone they weren’t intended for.

CLEAR OUT YOUR MEDICINES CABINET

EVERY SIX MONTHS to ensure that you only store those that are in date and still needed, particularly if you take regular prescription or multiple medicines.

DON’T THROW MEDS IN THE BIN, DOWN THE SINK OR LOO! Throwing medicines away incorrectly could lead to them being found by children or those that they are not intended for.

TAKE OLD OR UNWANTED MEDS TO PHARMACY Medicines that are no longer needed, out of date or damaged should be taken to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.

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