Safe Medication Disposal
Protecting Your Health and Community
Do you have a random collection of medicine bottles sitting in the cabinet or drawer? Many people do but keeping expired or unnecessary medications can be risky. Peter Patel, director of PIH Health pharmacies, says that properly disposing of medications is essential for protecting your health, preventing accidental misuse, and safeguarding the environment. He shares essential tips on safely disposing of old medication to help protect your health and community.
When to Get Rid of Medicines
Expired or unnecessary medications can be ineffective, harmful, or accidentally misused. To ensure safety, regularly review your medicine cabinet and dispose of anything that is no longer usable. Get rid of a medicine when:
- It is expired. Medications can lose potency over time, and some may even become harmful after they expire.
- The treatment is over. If you feel better and your doctor says you can stop taking a medicine, there's no reason to keep any extra medication that’s left.
- Your doctor changes your prescription. Holding onto old prescriptions might seem harmless, but it increases the chance of taking the wrong medication later, which can cause health issues.
- Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are no longer needed. Unused cold medicine, pain relievers and other OTC drugs may not be safe to take after a certain time.
Disposing of Medications
The best way to get rid of old medicines is through take-back programs. Many pharmacies, hospitals and community organizations offer collection sites where you can safely drop off unwanted medications. This ensures they are disposed of properly and don’t end up in the wrong hands.
Each of the PIH Health pharmacies have a large, green bin for disposing of medications that are expired or no longer needed. We have locations in Downey, Downtown LA, Santa Fe Springs, and Whittier for your convenience. We also offer vaccinations and other walk-in services. Check out the services we offer at PIHHealth.org/Pharmacy.
