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Page | Hurlburt Warrior | Friday, October 28, 2011
Just say ‘no’ to old, unused medications
By Tech. Sgt. .
Stacy Fowler
1st Special Operations Wing Public
Affairs
For anyone who has ever had a
joint injury, muscle strain or one of
those coughing, sneezing, “makesyou-feel-icky”
illnesses cycling
through the workcenter, there’s a
good chance old prescribed medications
are laying around at home
that “could” fix it.
So what do you do? Taking old
medications is not a good idea, according
to the 1st Special Operations
Medical Group Pharmacy
Flight. They recommend disposing
of them properly if they are no
longer needed.
“As a general rule, most prescription
drug items are only good
for one year from when you receive
them from the pharmacy,”
said Maj. Ann McManis, commander
of the 1st SOMDG Pharmacy
Flight. “If the medication
Airman 1st Class Gustavo Castillo
| USAF
An Airman simulates the improper
disposal of out-of-date
prescription medication.
is stored in a hot or humid area
(the bathroom for example), the
medication will not be good for
one year.”
One ready avenue for proper
disposal is Hurlburt Field’s National
Take Back Initiative event
Oct. 29 at the base commissary
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The U.S.
Department of Justice’s Drug
Enforcement Administration
is teaming up with the 1st Special
Operations Security Forces
Squadron, Hurlburt’s Office of
Special Investigations and the 1st
SOMDG to give people a safe way
of turning in medications.
The day of the event activeduty
personnel, retirees, dependents
and base civilians can drop
off unused or expired medications
at the commissary, said Detective
Anthony Correia, chief of
1st SOSFS Investigations and
Intelligence Flight. Turn-in coordinators
prefer medications be
dropped off in the prescription
bottle; however, if those are not
available, participants can let the
gate guard know when they enter
the base they are dropping off
medications for the take back program
at the commissary.
Sometimes these medications
end up forgotten in the back of
a cabinet, or some people might
hold on to them for “just in case”
scenarios. But there is a catch to
keeping old medications.
“Some prescriptions may not
be safe to take at a later time like
eye drops, antibiotics and pain
medications,” McManis said.
“People might think they have
the same injury or sickness as
before, but it could be a different
or more serious sickness. It is
important to contact your medical
provider for direction before
taking the [old] medicine.”
For those who are unable to
attend the turn-in, flushing down
the toilet is not a good option either.
Flushing old medication can
contaminate the environment
- especially waterways like the
Sound and the local wetlands -
because wastewater treatment
systems aren’t designed to remove
the chemicals in most medications,
according to the Florida
Department of Environmental
Protection.
So re-taking old meds isn’t safe
for the body, and flushing them
isn’t safe for the environment.
Throwing them away in the trash
isn’t a good idea, unless they are
made completely unusable.
“Many times people or stray
animals will go through the trash
to find usable items such as food
and old medications,” Correia
said. “That could potentially be a
danger to yourself or your family.
Not to mention what will happen
to the environment when they
start dissolving into the soil.”
To safely throw prescription
medications away:
1. Keep the medicines in the
original container. This will help
identify the contents if they are
accidentally ingested.
2. Mark out your name and
See medications page 7