National Drug Take Back Day

Saturday, October 24 is National Drug Take Back Day. There are so many good reasons to drop off your unused and unwanted medications to a collection location on this special day or any time. Pharmacies and police stations sometimes have secure medication take-back boxes. Many medication take-back locations, including the MedSafe box located in the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) lobby in Bennington, are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. SVMC was the first hospital in Vermont to have a convenient non-police-station option for disposal available around the clock, 365 days a year. Find a collection site near you at takebackday.dea.gov. Here are the top four reasons to dispose of unwanted meds properly:

Prevent abuse. Most people who start abusing drugs get prescriptions from family, friends, and acquaintances. Misuse of prescription narcotics (opioids) is a major public health concern. In fact, over 130 people die each day from opioid overdoses, according to the CDC. Keep track of your medications, store them somewhere secure, and dispose of what’s unused or expired at a take-back location.

Decrease the likelihood of medication errors. Many older individuals have complicated medication regimens and  prescriptions they are not using in the house. Medication adjustments over time could lead to a stockpile of unused, unneeded meds. The med safe box allows for disposal of these unused prescriptions to help prevent medication errors.

Lower the chance of accidental poisoning. A 2018 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that the number of children hospitalized for opioid poisoning tripled between 1997 and 2012, and the largest overall increase was among toddlers and preschoolers. Using a drug take-back location keeps dangerous medications out of your home and out of children’s reach.

Protect the environment. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the best option for disposing of unwanted medications is a medication take-back location. The United States Environmental Protection Agency agrees. Different prescriptions require different methods of disposal. The medication take-back location does all of the work for you, so you don’t have to worry about how the medication you have should be disposed of safely.

The collection box at SVMC has collected 1,455 pounds of unused medications in the last 3 years. But we know there’s more out there. Please take a look in your medicine cabinet and search takebackday.dea.gov to find a medication take-back location near you. Doing so could prevent significant harm to you, your family, the community, and the environment.

Dr. James Poole is the medical director of Medical Affairs and the Hospitalist Program at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, VT.