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How do I discard medicine that I no longer need, do I just throw it in the garbage?
Most medicines that are no longer needed can simply be thrown away in the household trash after being mixed with an undesirable substance, such as coffee grounds or kitty litter, and sealed in a container, such as a re-closeable plastic bag.
However, certain medicines may be especially harmful and, in some cases, even fatal in a single dose if they are used by someone other than the person the medicine was prescribed for. For this reason, some medicines have special disposal directions that indicate they should be flushed down the sink or toilet after the medicine is no longer needed. This ensures that these medicines cannot be accidently taken by children, pets, or anyone else.
- Where can I find information about adverse reactions to a medicine prescribed for my child?
- Where can I find information about medicines prescribed for my child?
- Materials from Webinar on Access to Investigational Drugs
- FDA Basics Webinar: "Mini-Sentinel," FDA's New Tool for Monitoring the Safety of FDA-Approved Medical Products
- How FDA Evaluates Regulated Products: Drugs
- FDA Webinar on Prescription Drug Shortages
- FDA Webinar on "Bad Ads" Program
- FDA Basics Webinar on Generic Drugs
- FDA Basics Videos: Tim Coté on Orphan Drugs
- What is an FDA Drug Safety Communication?
- What is counterfeit medicine?
- FDA Basic Video: Interview with John Jenkins on New Drugs (Video)
- What are unapproved drugs and why are they on the market?
- How can I stay better informed about drugs? Is there a reliable website FDA recommends?
- How do I discard medicine that I no longer need, do I just throw it in the garbage?
- How do I report a bad reaction to medicine or medication error to FDA?
- Does FDA approve the proprietary names of prescription drugs?
- What does FDA require drug manufacturers to do to prevent contaminated drugs? If contamination occurs, how must they correct the problem?
- How does FDA help consumers when drug shortages happen?
- Does FDA approve the information given out by pharmacies when I pick up my medicine?
- How does FDA decide when a drug is not safe enough to stay on the market?
- How do I find out if a drug is approved? Is there a Web site I can go to?
- What is the approval process for a new prescription drug?
- What is a Warning Letter?
- Can FDA ban direct-to-consumer drug advertising?
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