Posts Tagged ‘National Drug Take Back Day’

In the pharmacy, we answer questions all day long. Whether your inquiries are general or specific, pharmacists are here to answer your questions. There are some questions though, that people don’t realize they need to ask.

In this post, we answer some questions that are frequently unasked to hopefully provide answers to questions you didn’t even know you had!

1. Can I still take medication if it is expired?

If you have a medication that is expired, the best choice is to dispose of it. Once a medication expires, it loses its effectiveness and will not effectively treat the condition you’re using it for.

2. How do I use a suppository?

Rectal suppositories are used for several conditions, the most common being constipation.

Follow the steps below to ensure proper:

• Wash hands with soap and warm water.
• Verify suppository is not soft. If soft, then place into refrigerator until it hardens.
• Unwrap suppository from packaging.
• Lie on your side with the lower leg straightened out and the upper leg bent forward.
• Lift upper buttock to expose rectal area.
• Insert suppository, pointed end first, with finger about one inch into rectum.
• Hold buttocks together for about 30 seconds to allow suppository to dissolve.
• Wash hands again and discard trash.

3. I forget to take my medications some days. How can I remember to take them?

Forgetting to take medications is a common occurrence. Luckily, there are several options to help people to remember their medications.

Using a weekly pill box is an easy way to remember medications. Each slot has all the medications that need to be taken that day, so that way none are forgotten.

Another way to remember meds is to set recurring alarms to remind you to take the medications.

Taking medications while doing a task is an easy way to incorporate taking medications into a daily routine. For example, take medications before brushing your teeth, because you’ll always remember to brush.

4. What can I do if I have a tough time swallowing capsules?

Swallowing tablets and capsules can be difficult for some people. There are a couple of techniques to try to make swallowing medications easier.

First place the medicine on the tongue, take a large drink of water, and tilt your head forward as you swallow, this will allow the medicine to float back towards your throat.

Another technique to try is filling a plastic water bottle or soda bottle full of water. Place the medicine on the tongue and close your lips tightly around the opening of the bottle. Take a drink, keep your lips around the opening (suck the water in, do not let air into the bottle), and swallow the water with the tablet.

5. Can I just throw away my expired or unused medications?

Expired or unused medications should not be directly thrown away in the garbage or flushed down the sink or toilet. Instead, there are a couple of different ways to properly dispose of unwanted medications.

First, most police stations will take any tablets or capsules and dispose of them.

Next, some pharmacies have drug disposal boxes that unwanted medications, liquids, inhalers, and creams/ointments can be put into.

There are also National Drug Take Back Days sponsored by the DEA that occur twice yearly in April and October. These Take Back Days provide places to turn in unwanted medications.

Finally, if you want to get rid of medications at home, you can use coffee grounds or kitty litter mixed with water to dissolve unwanted medications in the combination. The resulting slush can be disposed of in the garbage.

The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will take place on Saturday, October 24 from 10 am to 2 pm. During this yearly event, you can turn in old or no longer used medicines for proper disposal. We know that many of you may have medications that have expired or that you don’t take any more and this is a perfect way to make sure they are destroyed so that no one gets hurt.

To find out more about the Take Back Day, visit the web site HERE.

To find a disposal location near you, go HERE and put in your zip code or county and city.

In Union County, you can turn in unused and expired medications at these sites:

Union County Sheriff’s Office

221 West 5th Street, Marysville, OH 43040 (Please enter the sally port from the south off of 6th St. Signs will be posted).

Pleasant Valley Fire Department

650 West Main Street, Plain City, OH 43064 (Please enter the rear of the bays).

Richwood Police Department

153 North Franklin Street, Richwood, OH 43344 (Please enter the sally port entrance)