It's the third Friday in April, so today is National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day. The goal of this "national day" is to raise awareness and remind you to get rid of unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications sitting in your medicine cabinet, your night stand, kitchen cabinets, or wherever you keep them. Some drugs are like ticking time-bombs—you just don’t know which one. You can do your part to dispose of those leftover and unused medications that can lead to misuse, addiction, poisoning or death.
It turns out, 70% of opioid dependence, overdoses and deaths begin with leftover drugs in the medicine cabinet - and opioids are just p[art of them problem. Antidepressants, muscle-relaxers, ADHD medications and sleep aids that linger in medicine cabinets could contribute to abuse, which often leads to poisoning, hospitalization, or death. Some medications may even become toxic after they expire; one example is the common prescription drug tetracycline, which becomes toxic to your kidneys.
How you dispose of your expired or unused medications is just as important as why. Flushed medications flow into our water supply, negatively impacting our water, fish we eat, and more. Even in the trash, discarded medications often leach into and contaminate the soil.
Site-of-use, or at-home drug disposal solutions offer a safe, effective and eco-friendly way of ridding your home of medications that are no longer needed or have expired. Along with site-of-use drug disposal day today, you can also participate in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA’s) National Drug Takeback Day next Saturday, April 27.
We encourage you - and everyone - to take time during National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day to your home safer. Check out and review your medications wherever you keep them. Safely dispose of leftovers from any surgery or illness, or those that have expired. You can safely, effectively and easily dispose of these medications by using a site-of-use, in-home disposal solution available online. You can see for yourself how easy and safe it can be.
Now, go have a good weekend!