Safe Storage and Disposal of Prescription Medications Safe storage and disposal of prescription (Rx) medication is an essential part of medication safety. There are many ways to keep your medication effective, make sure you and those around you are safe and ensure expired or damaged medicine is properly disposed of. Though the emphasis is on Rx medications, it is important to take precautions with all medications. How to Safely Store Your Rx Medications Proper storage of Rx medications ensures their effectiveness and can prevent accidents. Check out the tips below for how to store your medicines safely! Keep Your Medicine Effective Ask your pharmacist about specific storage instructions. Heat, air, light and moisture can all negatively impact your medications. Be mindful of this if you store your medicine in your bathroom. Store medicines in a cool, dry place (e.g., locked cabinet, storage box, shelf or closet). Always keep medicine in its original container. Remove the cotton ball when opening new medication. It can pull moisture into the pill container. Properly close all medication containers. Twist until you hear a click, or you can’t twist anymore. Keep Yourself and Others Safe Store medicine out of reach and out of sight of children. Store medicine in a cabinet with a childproof latch or lock. Keep medications out of sight and organized. Talk to your children about Rx safety. Keep track of the medications in your house with a list. Clean out your medications routinely to ensure you don’t keep expired or damaged medicine. Make sure not to use medications that have changed color, texture or smell. Additionally, do not use pills that stick together, are harder or softer than normal, or are cracked or chipped. Always check the expiration date when you are using new or already opened medication. If you notice any of these warning signs, make sure to promptly dispose of them. How to Safely Dispose of Your Rx Medications Return unused medicines to your pharmacist. Military pharmacies offer mail-in envelopes and/or secure bins where you can drop off your unwanted medications. Each option comes with easy-to-follow instructions for proper disposal. Dispose unused medicine in the trash using these steps: Mix your medicine with something that ruins it like coffee grounds or kitty litter. Put the entire mix in a sealed plastic bag. Place the bag in the trash. Bring expired and unused medicine to “drug take back” locations and events if they are available. Find a location here. DO NOT under any circumstance flush your medicine down the toilet, sink or bathtub. Traveling with Rx Medication If you are traveling and need to take prescription medicine, there are ways you can ensure they remain safe and effective. Keep medicine in their original bottles with the prescription information label. Keep your medicines in your carry on or on your person. Do not put Rx medication in checked baggage, as it may get lost. Ask your health care provider for a copy of all your prescriptions and a travel note for airport security if needed. This may also be helpful for any medical conditions and medical technology and devices. When staying in a new location or hotel, use locking mechanisms like a safe to keep your medicines out of reach. In Case of Emergency Sometimes accidents happen. If you notice you or someone has accidentally or improperly taken medication, call your poison control center at 800-222-1222 right away. If it is an emergency, dial 911 immediately. When traveling outside of the U.S., confirm emergency or poison control contact information with local authorities. Even if you are unsure if something occurred, err on the side of caution. Additional Resources Medline Plus – “Storing Your Medicines” Food and Drug Administration – “Drug Disposal: Drug Take Back Locations” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – “Put Your Medicines Up and Away and Out of Sight”
