FORT SILL, Okla., Jan. 28, 2016 -- Improperly disposing of unused medications can cause not only loss of personally identifiable information if the labels are not peeled off or made unreadable, but drugs may also wind up in city water treatment facilities, in water leaching out of landfills, and ultimately in the bodies of fish and other animals.
Keeping drugs around when they are no longer needed invites problems. Abused prescription drugs are often obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. Additionally, medications tossed into the trash might be discovered by children or pets, with dire results.
At Fort Sill, anyone with access to the post can safely and securely dispose of unused medications using the blue MedSafe medication disposal box located in the Reynolds Army Community Hospital's main outpatient pharmacy waiting room. The receptacle's one-way drop door is open during the main outpatient pharmacy's normal hours Mondays through Fridays from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A second collection receptacle is in the Sgt. David B. Bleak Troop Medical Center. The center's receptacle is open during its normal business hours Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Accepted medications for disposal in the boxes include: prescription over-the-counter and controlled-substance medications, vitamins, medicated lotions and ointments, liquid medication in leak-proof containers and transdermal skin patches.
People should remove the labels or obliterate them in such a way so it can no longer be read before depositing drugs in the MedSafe.
Items not suitable for deposit in MedSafe containers include: needles (sharps), thermometers, contraband drugs, infectious waste or medical waste, personal-care products, business waste, hydrogen peroxide, aerosol cans and inhalers.
In the absence of a secure disposal method such as MedSafe, take these steps to dispose of unwanted drugs at home:
-- Take the medications out of their original containers.
-- Mix the medications with cat litter or used coffee grounds.
-- Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid such as an empty margarine tub or a sealable bag.
-- Conceal or remove any personal information, including the prescription number, on the empty containers by covering it with permanent marker, duct tape or by scratching this information off of the product.
-- Finally, place the sealed mixture in the trash.
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