Most unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs can be tossed in the trash or flushed down the sink or toilet with precautions but a growing number of "take-back" programs are offering a safer disposal alternative.
Two such programs have collected and disposed of more than 10 tons of medication from consumers in Hawaii and the Pacific, and two more take-back events are planned for March and April.
Two-thirds of Honolulu seniors surveyed at a 2011 health and wellness expo reported keeping unwanted medications in their home for a year or longer, according to a study published in the January issue of the Hawaii Journal of Medicine &Public Health.
Health and law enforcement officials say prompt and proper disposal of expired and unused medications especially potent heart drugs and narcotic painkillers can help prevent accidental poisonings of children and pets, and illicit use by teens and adults. Clearing medicine cabinets of unneeded drugs also can help consumers avoid health problems from inadvertently taking the wrong medicine or a medicine that is too old to be effective.
An additional concern is the impact of medications on water resources when they are indiscriminately flushed down the sink or toilet and into wastewater systems.
Two take-back campaigns were launched in Hawaii in 2010. One is the Hawaii Medication Take Back Program, a partnership between the state Narcotics Enforcement Division (NED), the state Departments of Public Safety and the Attorney General, and the University of Hawaii-Hilo College of Pharmacy. The effort, also supported by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, holds collection events approximately four times a year in various communities. The next one will be at the 20th annual PrimeTime Wellness Fair from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.
The program collected more than 8,000 pounds of unwanted medications during 11 take-back events statewide from 2011 through 2012, according to the study by the UH-Hilo pharmacy school and the NED. Seven of the top 10 medications turned in were cardiovascular agents, researchers said. About 10 percent of the drugs were controlled substances, the most common being hydrocodone/acetaminophen combinations such as Vicodin and Norco, and oxycodone.
The most common over-the-counter drugs collected were aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. The take-back program also took in pseudoephedrine, a nasal decongestant commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine.
DEA also works with the state attorney general and NED on the second program, the National Take Back Initiative, which hosts events twice a year. Since 2010 the biannual events have disposed of roughly 12,200 pounds of prescription drugs dropped off by consumers in Hawaii, Guam and other Pacific territories, according to Valerie Mariano, chief of community and crime prevention at the Department of the Attorney General.
The next one is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26 National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii island. (Locations have not been announced.)
The collection sites allow for safe, anonymous disposal of unused or expired medications and educate the public about the potential for prescription drug misuse. (Needles and syringes are not accepted.)
State and federal drug enforcement agencies are the only entities that can legally collect pharmaceutical controlled substances from the public, Mariano said. There are no regular sites where the public can drop off their prescription drugs for safe disposal, although that is under consideration, she said.
DRUG DISPOSAL OPTIONS
>> Most medicines can be placed in the household trash. Mix them with an unpalatable substance such as cat box litter or used coffee grounds, then place the mixture in a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or a sealable plastic bag. Throw the container in the trash.
>> Don’t flush expired or unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs down the toilet or drain unless the label or enclosed patient information instructs you to do so. (When in doubt, talk to your pharmacist or find specific drug product labeling information at dailymed.nlm.nih.gov or www.fda.gov/drugs/resourcesforyou/consumers.)
>> Before throwing out empty pill bottles or other drug packaging, conceal or remove personal information, including Rx number, by covering it with permanent marker or duct tape or by scratching it off.
Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
LEED WILL TAKE STAGE AT WELLNESS FAIR
The 20th annual PrimeTime Wellness Fair from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall features singer Melveen Leed and more than 100 booths offering healthy-living information, health screenings, personal document shredding and notary services. The fair also will serve as a collection site where attendees can bring in their unused or expired medications for safe, anonymous disposal.
Leed will take the stage at 10 a.m., and other activities include a Zumba fitness demonstration at 9:15 a.m. and a cooking demonstration by Aloun Farms at 11:15 a.m. In addition, Aloun will offer a farmers market and seminar on how to pick fresh produce, and AquaponicsOahu.com will provide a demonstration on growing plants and vegetables.
Three grand-prize drawings will award a $1,000 Vacations Hawaii gift certificate, a $1,000 gift card from Mid Pac Petroleum & 76 Hawaii and a year of free produce from Aloun Farms.
The PrimeTime Wellness Fair is sponsored by First Hawaiian Bank, the Honolulu City and County’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Kuakini Health System and Hawaii Medical Service Association.
