Don’t flush leftover medicines

Tucked into bathroom cabinets throughout Bonita Springs are medications that are no longer taken, are old, have expired or were used by someone who no longer needs them. Create space in your cabinets and make your home safer by properly disposing of unwanted medicines.

Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information inserts that come with the medication. If no instructions are given, throw the drugs in the household trash, after taking the following steps:

Keep the drugs or medicines in their original containers, so they can be identified if they are accidentally swallowed. Mark out your name and prescription number on the label to help protect your identity and the privacy of your personal health information. For pills, add water or soda to start dissolving them. For liquids, add something inedible, such as used coffee grounds, kitty litter or dirt. The medication will be less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to anyone who may go through your trash.

Close the lid, and seal with duct or packing tape. Put the bottle in an opaque sealable bag, empty can or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking through a garbage bag. For extra security, tape that container closed, and hide it in the trash. Never put drugs in the recycling bin.

The same disposal method can be used for over-the-counter medications, too. If you have concerns about proper disposal, talk to your pharmacist.

There are a few disposal methods that are not recommended. Do not share medications with friends. Drugs are prescribed based on specific symptoms and medical histories. A drug that works for one person may be dangerous for someone else.

Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet or pour them down the drain. While this prevents the possibility of someone accidentally taking them, it creates the potential to contaminate our aquatic environment. Wastewater-treatment systems, including septic tanks, are not designed to remove many of these medications.

While concentrations of pharmaceuticals in our water bodies are hundreds or thousands of times lower than typically prescribed dosages, research suggests they can impact aquatic organisms like fish and frogs. To date, scientists have found no evidence of adverse human health effects from pharmaceutical residues in the environment. Even so, we encourage you to avoid adding leftover medications to our water systems unnecessarily.

If you have questions about the disposal of specific drugs, call the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at 888-INFO-FDA.