ORLANDO. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – In a recent study, it was found that more than half of patients prescribed opioids received more than what they need. Sixty-one percent of these patients say they will save the extra pills for future use. With painkiller overdoses on the rise, here’s details on ways you can safely dispose of your leftover medication to keep them out of the hands of young children or adults looking to get high.
Ever given Tylenol to a friend who asked for it? How about prescription painkillers? In a survey done by Johns Hopkins, it was found that one in five people shared their leftover medication with another person. Even though sharing over the counter pain relievers, such as Tylenol, is fine, sharing opioid painkillers with someone who doesn’t have a prescription can have deadly consequences.
Drug overdose, the majority of which involves opioids, was the leading cause of injury death among people between 25 and 64 in 2014. Instead, you can turn over the unused meds to a “take back” program at pharmacies or police departments. But fewer than seven percent of people with unused meds actually did this.
There’s no problem with throwing away pills in the trash, but make sure to mix them in something inedible like coffee grounds, dirt or kitty litter and seal them in a plastic bag.
Also, make sure to scratch out your personal information from empty pill bottles before throwing them out.
More than half the people in the survey said that they were not given any information on proper disposal of leftover medication. When given a prescription, be sure to ask your physician for the best ways to store or dispose of the unused medication.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.