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How To Take Care Of Expired Or Left Over Medicines in Hamilton?

You are suffering from a mild or extreme headache, and the first thing you do is reach your medical box or wherever you store your medications. To your surprise, you realize that the medicine is expired. What should you do? Should you take it? Some people might not even realize that the product is expired before taking it.

If you find your cabinet is full of medicine, there are chances that some of them could be expired. As medicines expire, they become less effective, and you need to dispose of them. But how to take care of expired or leftover medicines? In this article of our Hamilton compounding pharmacy, we will help you understand how to get rid of old medicines. The method you choose has a direct impact on the safety and health of the environment. So chose wisely!

When To Get Rid of Your Leftover Medicine

Always get rid of your medications when your doctor changes your prescriptions. You don’t need the old medicines anymore. It would be best if you also dispose of your old medicine:

  • When you start feeling better, and your doctor suggests you stop taking your medicine
  • When you no longer need your OTC medicines
  • When you have expired medicines

In any case, taking expired medications should never be an option. You don’t know if the medicine ingredients have changed, which can cause unknown side effects. It is always unsafe to take expired medicine.

Another thing you should do is always to keep an eye on the expiration date before and after you use your medicine. There are some risks associated with expired or unused medications, such as:

  • Dosage mix up or wrong medicine intake
  • Accidental poisoning
  • Overdosing
  • Misuse or illegal abuse

Correct Ways To Dispose of Expired Medicines in Hamilton Safely

Using the correct way of disposal prevents others from using them accidentally. It is also imperative to dispose of these medications so that they don’t cause harm to the environment. However, each medicine has instructions on their label or information booklet to find the right way to dispose of them once used.

Here are some safe ways to dispose of medicines in Hamilton:

Drug Take-Back Program

Find out if your nearest pharmacies or drug store have a drug take-back program. This method is the best way to dispose of your medicine, as these drug stores are more experienced and know how to dispose of every expired medicine. Drug take-back programs let you drop off boxes with your leftover and expired medicine. Another great reason to chose drug take-back programs is that you are contributing to maintain environmental health. These Drug Take-Back programs are designed to ensure that medications are correctly destroyed according to the rules and regulations of federal drug disposal. They remove the medicines from their original container and mix them with some undesirable substance. The mixture is then placed safely in durable sealed bags or containers to prevent leakage

Final Words

If you cant get your access to the drug take-back program, that would be best. There are still some other ways to safely dispose of your expired medicines, but the drug take-back program is most effective. Be sure to remove your details from the labels, so your information remains anonymous. Use sealable bags so your medicine won’t leak. Hopefully, you have enjoyed reading this blog of our Hamilton compounding pharmacy.

For more information about compounding pharmacies and how they can create personalized dosage and formulations for you, contact us. We will gladly answer all your questions.

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