{"id":1260,"date":"2019-01-29T11:55:22","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T16:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/?p=1260"},"modified":"2022-07-11T09:34:20","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T13:34:20","slug":"what-should-you-do-with-unused-medications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/what-should-you-do-with-unused-medications\/","title":{"rendered":"What should you do with unused medications?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What do you do with unused or expired medications from your cat or your dog?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1261 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Medications-1.jpg\" alt=\"A pile of multi-colored pills\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Medications-1.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Medications-1-1100x660.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Medications-1-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Toss them in the trash can?<br \/>\nFlush them down the drain?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Keep them on the shelf, \u201cjust in case\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">None of these options are a good idea. Many pet lovers will self-diagnose and self-medicate in spite of what I say, so let\u2019s focus on why it\u2019s not a good idea to discard medications improperly. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Septic systems and even water treatment facilities cannot possible remove 100% of these toxic chemicals from the water they process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Whether you toss old meds in the trash can or flush them down the drain (sink or toilet), they are very likely to end up contaminating water, which affects wildlife\u2026 and humans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chemists have found traces of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and anti-depressants in ground water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The fact is, we have rarely received proper instruction on how to dispose of drugs properly. This is something that can easily be changed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The easiest way to ensure unused pharmaceuticals don\u2019t end up in our drinking water, is to make sure that your pet receives the full course of medication, as prescribed by your family vet. Of course, this eliminates the chance of unused medications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the event you do end up with unused medications, here is what to do:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Never flush or pour anything down the drain (sink or toilet).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Ask your local pharmacist, they may be able to point you toward a mail back program or \u201ctake back\u201d event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Occasionally your local police station will do the same with any drugs involving a needle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. If you cannot locate a local program visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unwantedmeds.org\">www.unwantedmeds.org<\/a> to find out other options for drug disposal in your area or simply search online using a drug disposal locater like AWARxE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. If you are instructed to dispose of a medication in the trash it is always important to remove all personal information from prescription bottles. Crush tablets, empty capsules or pour liquid medications and combine them with something unpalatable like cat litter, dirt, sawdust or used coffee grounds. Seal the contained and place in a leak proof bag before tossing into the trash.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free <\/em>Certified<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What do you do with unused or expired medications from your cat or your dog? Toss them in the trash can? Flush them down the drain? Keep them on the shelf, \u201cjust in case\u201d? None of these options are a good idea. Many pet lovers will self-diagnose and self-medicate in spite of what I say, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[199,157,200,9],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-medication-disposal","tag-phil-zeltzman","tag-unused-medication","tag-veterinary-medicine"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What should you do with unused medications? | Dr Phil Zeltzman\u2019s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What do you do with unused or expired medications from your cat or your dog?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/what-should-you-do-with-unused-medications\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What should you do with unused medications? 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