October is here and that means fall is finally in full swing. It is a month full of golden leaves, football, tricks, treats, pumpkins, and getting rid of unused prescription drugs.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, hosted by the Drug Enforcement Agency, will be held on October 26. This is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs.
Using Take Back Programs to get rid of unused medications has a host of benefits.
- It helps with preventing prescription drug abuse. Research shows that teens see misusing medicine as “safer” and “socially acceptable” amongst their peers. Family and friends medicine cabinets are the number one place where teens obtain things like prescription pain medication and other commonly abused prescriptions.
- Disposing of unused prescriptions also reduces the risk of accidental poisoning. Having medicine that is no longer needed in the home can put our children, seniors, and pets in danger of accidental poisoning.
- It can also reduce the amount of medicines in the environment. It is no longer suggested to flush unused prescriptions down the toilet or throw them in the garbage as these methods are unsafe for the environment.
If you are looking to get rid of unused medications and want to participate in your local Take-Back Day, you can leave your medication in the original bottles, but please remove the label. The medications will not be monitored and disposal will be completely anonymous. There are items that will not be accepted such as needles or other sharp items, inhalers, or liquids.
If you are in the Watertown area, you can dispose of unused medications at the Watertown Police Department, Codington County Sheriff’s Office, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System Pharmacy, Downtown Drug, Hyvee Pharmacy, and Lewis Drug. Outside of Watertown, you can find a take back location by visiting
www.avoidopioidsd.com/take-action/take-back-sites/. These locations also have times outside of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day that you can dispose of unused medications.
If there is not a take back site near you, or you are unable to get to a site, you can also order Dispose Rx packets from that link as well. Dispose Rx packets can be poured into the medicine bottle with a little water, shaken up, and the medication will turn into a paste that can then be safely thrown away.
Any medications that you still need should be stored safely out of reach of children. Preferably they should be locked in a drawer, cabinet, or lock box. This will help limit the chances of accidental poisoning or someone taking them without permission. If you would like a lock box, please feel free to contact the Human Service Agency as we have a few available to give away.
For more information, contact the NE Prevention Resource Center at the Human Service Agency at (605) 884-3516 or visit
www.humanserviceagency.org/NEPrevention. To stay informed, follow us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/NEPRC.HSA or Twitter (X) at
www.x.com/NE_Prevention.
Article By Stephanie Kinnander