Q: Several years ago, I was given a prescription for an infection and was told that I didn’t need to finish it all if the infection improved rapidly, which it did. When cleaning out my medicine cabinet, I noticed the bottle, which expired a little over a year ago. I’ve heard that it’s not good to flush medication down the toilet, so what is the best way to dispose of it?
A: You are correct in that anything flushed or poured down a drain will, sooner or later, show up in our well water. The recent finding of PFAS (flame-retardant chemicals in fire-fighting foam) in well water and creeks around the state lends credence to this concern.
There is also evidence that low levels of many different medications in surface water can cause worrisome changes in the bacteria, plants, and animals that live in or consume the water. Incineration turns out to be the best way to deal with unneeded medication, whatever the form (tablets, capsules, and liquids).
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has a new feature online (www.michigan.gov/deqdrugdisposal, then click on the bolded blue heading on the right that starts with ‘Check out the NEW Household Drug Take Back Map…’) that includes a map of the entire state, showing collection centers and the types of medication each will accept. You can also enter your ZIP code in a search box in the upper left corner of the screen and click on the adjacent magnifying glass, which will cause the map to zoom in on your location. When you click on each collection location, the name and address of the center will be displayed.
I want to thank Angela C. very much for bringing up this important topic. If you have a particular topic you would like to hear more about, please message me at paulmdake@ gmail.com.
To learn more about this and many other health topics, visit the American Academy of Family Physicians’ website familydoctor. org, where you can search for your topic of interest.
Dr. Paul Dake, a Newberry native, is a retired family physician. He lives in Pinconning, Michigan.
