Flush them, mix them with coffee grounds, just throw them out – - what ARE we supposed to do with medications that are expired or we just don’t need any more?

Disposing of old prescription drugs improperly can be, as we have learned of late, hazardous to the environment. Keeping drugs that are no longer being used increases the risk a child will get into something and be poisoned or that someone will take the drugs to sell, which is unfortunately a growing problem.

If we shouldn’t throw them out or keep them, what DO we do with unneeded and expired medications?

That question is the topic of our feature segment in this episode of the Senior Care Corner Show.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offers a safe and easy way to get rid of prescription medications, National Drug Take Back Day. The event, the 2013 edition of which is to be held April 27, has seen more than 1,000 tons of prescription medication collected in past years.

We heard about Drug Take-Back Day from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), an organization that works to protect public health. Wanting to learn more – and to help you learn more as well – we were fortunate to arrange a conversation with Dr. Carmen Catizone (pictured to the right), who is the NABP Executive Director. That conversation is the feature segment of this episode of the Senior Care Corner Show.

Dr. Catizone explained to us about Drug Take Back Day and why it’s so important, especially to seniors and their family caregivers. He also gave us some great information about safe drug disposal for those who don’t have a take-back location nearby.

We got some help from Dr. Catizone on another question we’ve received of late, whether disposal of the prescription bottle itself should be a concern. To hear what he has to say, listen to the show by clicking on the player above or download it to play later.

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• Studies Examine Doctor-Patient Communications about End of Life Care
  
• New Hybrid Grapefruit Developed in Florida
  
• Age-Related Height Loss Linked to Cognitive Health
  
• More Dietary Fiber May Help Thwart Strokes
  

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• Prescription Drug Safety page from AwareRx
  
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
  
• Find a Drug Take Back collection site near you
  
• How to Dispose of Unused Medicines from the FDA
  
• Poison Control 800-222-1222
  

We hope you find this episode of the Senior Care Corner Show to be as important and informative as we did when we put it together. We especially thank Dr. Catizone for joining us.

Do you have thoughts about prescription drug safety you would like to share with our community? If so, please leave a comment on our post or on our Facebook page.

Podcast Transcript – so you can follow along or read at your convenience

Related reading:

1. 
   
2. Disposing of Seniors’ Expired or Unneeded Medications Properly
   
3. Taking Medications Safely – You and Seniors Aging in Place
   
4. Managing Seniors’ Medications for Safety and Effectiveness