what to do with unused meds?

[mstw]

Drat! I had my neuro fax in an order for a 3 month supply of 100mg Tegretol XR (450 pills) to my mail order pharmacy plan - saves $'s that way. But I just got a call from his office this morning that my blood work is a little off - liver #'s are a little high and white blood count a little low. They said it's not dramatic enough to change anything right now, but they want me to have more blood work in a couple of weeks to double check it (could be a fluk, or it could mean a side effect from the meds).

I tried to stop the order, but they said it is already in the mail and I can't refuse the order either. So now I have a $75.00 bill for meds I may not be taking!

In case I end up being switched to another med, does anyone know of what one can do with unused meds? I hate to spend that amount of money for something I can't use, but also hate to see usable medicine get thrown out. If I don't even open the package when it arrives, seems like it could be guaranteed safe for someone else to take. Any ideas?!

Thanks,
Marj

[JeanC]

Hi, Marj,

You raise a really good question! It's come up here before but more as a side effect of having TN - finding the right med and the right dose and ending up with a variety of leftovers that didn't work. (We had a thread with a virtual/cyber swap of all our leftovers. :D Too bad it can't be done in reality - yet, anyway.)

These days it's like pulling teeth to get the insurance companies to let you get more than 30 days' worth of a script - maybe this is part of the reason. I just searched and there are a number of interesting articles (I searched on "unused medication" and "drug recycling") including several saying that unused meds are now considered "household hazardous waste" and not to flush them down the toilet as they could end up in your (or someone else's) drinking water - :eek:

My first thought, if the pharmacy won't take them back, is to ask your doctor or some local pharmacy if there is any kind of drug recycling in your area. Some states have drug recycling programs, but I gather it's still just for nursing homes and hospice programs - but you could ask as it may be expanding. Just be careful and do your research and be sure you're within the law in your area. Here's an AARP article about the problem -

http://www.aarpmagazine.org/health/old_pills.html

And here's the one about drugs as hazardous waste and how to safely dispose of them (way down near the bottom) -

http://arthritis.about.com/od/arthritismedications/ht/disposemeds.htm

Let us know what you find. :)

Jean

[baywatcher]

I don't know of any way to transfer your unused (unopened) meds to another needy individual. Maybe your doctor can help with this? I do know that plans are underway in Maine to get the unused (opened) stuff out of the waters of Maine, and that will involve arrangements to have them collected by depots. The only disposal method that I know of at the moment is the recommended: crush and add to coffee grounds or kitty litter (liquids to clumping kitty litter) and then seal that mess into doubled plastic bags and dispose of with trash. This prevents any unauthorized use (apparently dumpster divers seek out drugs - yuck) and at least temporarily keeps them out of water supplies. But anything that goes into a landfill will eventually wind up back in the environment. Incineration? How much goes up the smokestack? Like you, I feel that having expensive stuff that isn't going to get used by someone who needs it is too bad. Since I do have multiple allergies I have had very short-term prescriptions written at first and only get a real supply after it's clear that they are ok for me to take. That would be a nuisance if you shop by mail. Let us all know what you learn. Nancy

[jen86]

You should be able to take them to a pharmacy, whether or not you get your money back I am unsure but there in NZ they are more than happy to take any unused meds for you. It's worth asking!

[mstw]

Thanks for all the responses :)

Hopefully I won't need to change meds, and the elevated liver/white cell count numbers are small/stable and/or just an off reading. I will go in for another blood test in a day or two and will see what happens.

I guess I can understand a pharmacy not taking back a script that was partially used - for safety concerns. But in this case, the script will be totally unopened - I won't even open the package it's being mailed in, so how can there be a concern that it could be tainted?! Meds in general can be soooo expensive (thank God I have insurance that pays a big portion of them!), so just tossing them away just seems a crime. Also, what Nancy and Jean said about the environmental concerns by disposing of them by flushing or putting in the garbage is an important concern - one I hadn't really thought of before, so thanks for pointing that out!

Found an interesting article that talks about this issue, and one of the points it discusses is how pharmaceutical companies benefit by individuals not being able to recyle their unused drugs - http://www.newstarget.com/002465.html

I will check with the local pharmacy, Jen, as you suggested. Might be a possibility ('course, the U.S. may have a different policy on this than NZ).
And I will talk to my doctor again about it - I talked with his assistant, and she said no; but it wouldn't hurt to talk to the doctor himself. But again, hopefully I don't have a significant problem with this med to where I will need to switch to something else. If so, I think I will stick with only filling a one month supply at the retail pharmacy next time!!

Marj

[baywatcher]

Marj, I hope that you don't have a problem - then you can go ahead and take your meds and not have to worry about disposal. We've all had strange or anomalous tests from time to time, "could be something you ate" I was told by a doctor once.

As for our powerful meds, pollution is really a problem and some of it we simply can't do much about. We excrete stuff, and then we flush it, and very few (are there any?) water treatment plants can remove this kind of contaminant. Woe to the little fishes who are getting doses of hormones that muddle their development.

I remember being kept in the hospital for hours after having a full-body bone scan done, while a nurse showed up over and over and made me drink glasses of water. It happened that my urine, at that point, was considered hazardous waste and they were required to collect it before I left. I was a walking, talking nuclear waste hazard!

I get my trileptal now three months at a time. Boy, I would hate to have to dump that, it is so expensive.

We'll be curious to find out what you learn from your doctor. Nancy