How to safely dispose of unused allergy and asthma medication

Sometimes, as an allergy family, we don’t need our allergy and asthma medication. So how do you safely dispose of unused or expired allergy and asthma medication? It’s time to ask the allergist!
Failing to properly dispose of allergy and asthma medication (really, any unused or expired medication) can increase the risk of accidental use or ingestion, or harm to our environment.

If you have some unused or expired allergy and asthma medications that need disposal, here are some things to consider from the medical experts at Family Allergy. Read on:

Medical Take-Back Programs

One of the best and safest ways to dispose of unused or expired medicine is to drop it at a medical take-back location. Some pharmacies, doctor’s offices, or community centers run these programs, so check with your doctor or local government. Some of these programs run periodically throughout the year. Find more information here from the Food and Drug Administration.

Trash Can

If you don’t live in a place with a take-back program or not accessible to you, there could be disposal instructions in your medication. Sometimes, that means tossing them in the trash. If you do this, there are steps to take to keep things safe, like mixing the medication with something yucky like dirt or putting it in a sealed bag. You should also take your personal information off the bottle, box, or tube.

Flushing

Sometimes, you can even flush certain medications down the toilet. Be sure to read the insert in your prescription or call your doctor for more information before you flush medicines down the toilet, though.

Our medical experts can help if you have questions about disposing of unused or expired allergy and asthma medications. Contact us today if you need assistance!