FDA: Clean out your shoebox, Julia.

Oh, wow. I took this picture five years ago. Trusty old box....still hanging in there. 

I was plunking two weeks' worth of pills into my dose boxes the other day. After I finished and had made notes of which meds needed refilling then threw all of the containers into my beat up shoebox sturdy medication bottle storage box, I noticed about three bottles sitting in a corner of the box which contained drugs that I wasn't taking any more. I idly thought that I should figure out a way to dispose of them, then shoved the box into my pantry and forgot all about it.

Until I saw today's tweet from @MedlinePlus: Some unused or expired medicines can be flushed, others can be thrown away.  Learn more from the FDA: http://1.usa.gov/1DEnLho 

Oh, hey, I thought. Timely. Head over there to read it all, and be sure to explore the several useful links included in this article:

Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know

Topics on this page

• Overview
• List of Medicines Recommended for Disposal by Flushing
• Questions and Answers about Medication Disposal 
   

Overview

Medicines play an important role in treating many conditions and diseases and when they are no longer needed it is important to dispose of them properly to help reduce harm from accidental exposure or intentional misuse. Below, we list some options and special instructions for you to consider when disposing of expired, unwanted, or unused medicines. Continue reading here.