Bring out your Drugs!

[eithni]

For those of you not in Dane county, there is now also a mail order Med Drop option offered for Waukesha and Winnebago counties. This is not something we can use here in Dane at this time, but it may be useful information for you to pass along to family members outside the immediate area. 

Comments

[teffan]

Is there anything wrong with incinerating them yourself?

[eithni]

That depends on the drug, but yes, generally it would not be advisable.

You need specific high temperatures, usually a fume collection system of some sort, and to properly dispose of the ashes as well.

[teffan]

I'm not planning to burn anything, but just curious - in the grand scheme of hazardous waste, how do the "flush/toss/burn-in-a-fireplace" options stack out in terms of which is worst/best?

[eithni]

It really depends on the drug/dosage form. If fire _is_ appropriate, it should be "burn in a well-ventilated outdoor fire."

[iarroganti]

By any chance, do you know of any similar setups in Minnsota counties, especially Ramsey and Hennepin?

[eithni]

Hennepin tells you to do the wrong thing, based on the old recommendations.
Ramsey does not seem to have any info.
Anoka has info (tinyurl.com/5e73gr) so you may be able to send it with someone local.

You may be able to take them back to your pharmacy or a local hospital.

Or, of course, bring it to me at ARRG!

[iarroganti]

Thanks,

I don't have much myself as I don't remember the last time I used perscription medicine, but figured I would get enough info to post it for other Twin Cities friends.

[mtgordon]

I understand the concerns about the environmental effects of some drugs (steroid hormones that are active in trace amounts, antibiotics that may spur the evolution of resistance in bacteria if too widely used), but for at least a few drugs (calcium carbonate, activated charcoal, vitamins) there's no real environmental impact. Still, it's probably not safe for people to guess which drugs can be safely dumped.

Is it just me, or does the photo on the Med Drop web page depict sheets of pseudoephedrine tablets? Maybe there's a secondary motive of trying to reduce the supply of meth precursors? It's probably easier to get funding for something that's billed as an anti-crime initiative than for something that is solely concerned with the environment.

A third source of prescription drug products in the water supply is urine. Some things just get filtered out through the kidneys without being metabolized. That's a harder problem to solve, though.

[eithni]

Yeah, they essentially don't want people to guess. Plus, some things that seem "safe" may be dangerous to toss for other reasons. An overdose of iron tablets can kill animals and children. I think the little red pills are actually supposed to be iron - pseudophedrine tablets are usually packaged closer together and more per sheet.

And, yes, urine can be a problem too, but we need to effectively deal with this more easily managed issue first before we tackle that harder question.

[mtgordon]

You may note that I mentioned vitamins but said nothing about minerals other than calcium. Even with iron, while there is a risk of accidental overdose from pills thrown in the trash, there's no broader environmental concern, since trace iron is harmless.

[eithni]

:P And you, my dear dork, are one of few people who meaningfully differentiate between those things. Most people lump vitamins, herbals, minerals, homeopathic crap, and over-the-counter meds together in their heads.

[caoilfhionn]

Can you take an unopened birth control pill pack?

[eithni]

Yup- full, partial, bottles, vials, packages, whaddevah.

[caoilfhionn]

I'll have to see about maybe mailing them to you, if you're willing. My pharmacy just said to flush them, and we live in the land of intersexed frogs!

[eithni]

Mail them or get them to me in Jara, at Quest, or at ARRG!

[damej]

Can you take veterinary medicines? I still have some leftover cat meds from years ago.

[eithni]

Yup. Meds for critters are fine too.

[wendybyrd]

You rock!

[eithni]

:) Thanks. Got drugz?