With rigid implementation of garbage disposal by clinics and hospitals, next on the agenda is “Disposal of Expired medicines”. I am sure most doctors throw away expired samples – only to be used by unscrupulous elements to repack/ relabel and put back in circulation. Some advice for us to follow and teach our patients as well.

Team@CMHF

With curdled milk or petrified cucumbers, it’s not hard to know when your food is past its prime, but how do you know when your medicine is past its prime?
Using expired medical products is risky and possibly harmful to your health. In the late 1970s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring an expiration date on prescription and over-the counter medicines.

The expiration date can be found printed on the label or stamped onto the bottle or carton; it’s important to know and adhere to the date on your medicine.
• Expired medical products can be less effective or risky due to a change in chemical composition or decrease in potency.
• Improper storage – such as a humid bathroom cabinet – can also contribute to decreased effectiveness in medicines that have not reached their posted expiration date. To help ensure the proper shelf life of your medicine, it’s better to store medicine in a controlled climate.
• If you have expired medicine, it should be disposed of properly. Read the label for disposal instructions that may be included.
• If no instructions are provided, a drug take-back program, if available, is a good way to dispose of expired, unwanted or unused medicine. Check with your local government to see if there is such a program available in your area. If none is available, federal guidelines recommend throwing medicine away in the household trash by placing it in a bag or container and mixing with coffee grounds or kitty litter.
• However, some medicine is specifically recommended for flushing down a toilet or sink because, while safe and effective when used as prescribed, it could be especially harmful to a child, pet, or anyone else if taken accidentally.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/01/2195472/spotlight-get-rid-of-expired-pills.html