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May 2023
Talk With Your Patients About Safe Rx Disposal
Drug misuse continues to be a public health crisis in the U.S.—and right here in Texas. Help keep your community safe from potential misuse and overdose by talking with your patients about how to safely dispose of expired, unwanted or unused medications.
Take-Back Days
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, held in April and October of each year, provides a free and confidential way for Texans to safely dispose of unused prescription drugs. Participants simply clean out their medicine cabinets and drop off medications at a drive-up location, where staff safely dispose of them. Encourage your patients to find a local collection site by visiting www.dea.gov/takebackday.
Pharmacy Drug Disposal Resources
Many Texas pharmacies offer free, year-round safe disposal methods, including:
On-site drop-off boxes that allow individuals to safely dispose of most prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Mail-back programs that encourage customers to place unwanted medicines into a prepaid mailer, which is then sent to an environmental returns program for proper disposal.
Advise patients to find a local disposal site by visiting the DEA Public Disposal Locations for Controlled Substances website.
Single-Use Disposal System (SUDS) Pouches
For a convenient at-home disposal method, the University of Houston Prescription Drug Misuse Education and Research Center offers two options: SUDS deactivation pouches and mail-back envelopes.
Deactivation pouches make it safe to throw away medication at home. They contain a powder that, when mixed with water directly inside a medication bottle, renders the drug unusable and safe to dispose of in a trash receptacle. The pouches work effectively with pills, tablets, capsules, liquids and powders.
Mail-back envelopes allow patients to place unused medications into a prepaid envelope and mail it back to a treatment location for disposal.
Patients can find a local SUDS distribution location to pick up free disposal materials by visiting the Texas Targeted Opioid Response Safe Drug Disposal Distribution Locations map.
The Texas PMP: A Tool to Help Combat the Opioid Epidemic
The Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is another valuable tool in protecting your patients. By providing controlled substance prescription histories for your patients, it informs prescribing practices to prevent prescription drug misuse and overdose. The PMP can help end the opioid crisis, but it only works when we use it.
Sign on before you sign off.
