Where and How to Dispose of Unused Medicines

Español

Is your medicine cabinet full of expired drugs or medications you no longer use? The best way to dispose of most types of expired, unwanted or unused medicines is through a drug take-back program.

To discard of your prescription or over-the-counter medicines, you can:

If you cannot use those options, follow these guidelines:

• If your medicine is on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's flush list, flush these potentially dangerous medicines down the toilet.
• If your medicine is not on the flush list, follow the instructions below to discard it at home.

Drug Take-Back Options

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sponsors National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in communities nationwide. Many communities also have their own drug take-back events. Check with your local law enforcement officials to find a location near you or with the DEA to find a DEA-authorized collector in your community.

Some pharmacies offer on-site medicine drop-off boxes or kiosks, mail-back programs and other ways to help you safely dispose of medicines.

Use Prepaid Drug Mail-Back Envelopes

A prepaid drug mail-back envelope is a convenient and secure disposal option. These envelopes are sold at various places, including retail pharmacies and online. Some pharmacies offer them at no cost.

To use prepaid drug mail-back envelopes:

1. Fill the envelope with your unused or expired medicines and seal it.
2. Mail the envelope using the U.S. Postal Service.

How to Dispose of Medicines at Home

When a take-back option is not easily available, there are two ways to dispose of medicines at home, depending on the drug.

Flushing medicines: Because some medicines could be especially harmful to others, they have specific directions to immediately flush them down the sink or toilet when they are no longer needed, and a take-back option is not readily available.

How will you know? Check the label or the patient information leaflet with your medicine. Or consult the list of medicines recommended for disposal by flushing when a take-back option is not readily available. Remember, don't flush your medicine unless it is on the flush list.

Disposing medicines in household trash: If a take-back option is not available, almost all medicines, except those on the FDA flush list, can be thrown into your household trash. These include prescription and OTC drugs in pills, liquids, drops, patches and creams.

Follow these steps:

1. Remove the drugs from their original containers and mix them with something undesirable, such as used coffee grounds, dirt or cat litter. This makes the medicine less appealing to children and pets - and unrecognizable to someone who might intentionally go through the trash looking for drugs.
2. Put the mixture in something you can close (a resealable zipper storage bag, empty can or other container) to prevent the drug from leaking or spilling out.
3. Throw the container in the trash at home.
4. Scratch out all your personal information on the empty medicine packaging to protect your identity and privacy. Throw the packaging away.
   If you have a question about your medicine, ask your health care professional or pharmacist.

Disposing Fentanyl Patches

The fentanyl patch is an example of a product that contains a powerful opioid medicine that can be dangerous to people it's not prescribed for. This adhesive patch delivers a strong pain medicine through the skin.

Even after a patch is used, a lot of the medicine remains. That's why the drug comes with instructions to flush used or leftover patches.

Disposing Inhaler Products

One environmental concern involves inhalers used by people who have asthma or other breathing problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Read handling instructions on the labeling of inhalers and aerosol products.

These products could be dangerous if punctured or thrown into a fire or incinerator. To properly dispose of these products and follow local regulations and laws, contact your trash and recycling facility.

Disposing Other Products

Visit the FDA's Medication Disposal Q&A page for more information on how to dispose of needles, syringes and other products. Some drugs with uncommon dosage forms - for example sprays and lozenges - have specific disposal instructions.

Review the instructions that came with your prescription or contact your health care professional to learn how to properly dispose of those medicines.

Flushing Drugs and the Water Supply

Some people wonder if it's okay to flush certain medicines. There are concerns about the small levels of drugs that might be found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in drinking water supplies.

The main way drug residues enter water systems is by people taking medicines and then naturally passing them through their bodies. Many drugs are not completely absorbed or metabolized (broken down) by the body and can enter the environment after passing through wastewater treatment plants.

The FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency take seriously the concerns of flushing certain medicines in the environment. Still, there has been no sign of environmental effects caused by flushing recommended drugs. In fact, the FDA published a paper to assess this concern, finding negligible risk of environmental effects caused by flushing recommended drugs.

For more information on what to do when you no longer need your medicines, visit this FDA page.