Medication safety tips
H
Unused or discarded medications pose a real danger
in homes. Over the last 10 years, 640,000 ER visits
occurred due to young children swallowing medicine
they found around the house, according to the Centers
for Disease Control. Human medications are also the
leading cause of pet poisonings, and those happened
most often from discarded drugs, studies show.
Household prescription medicines also contribute
to drug abuse. Many abusers of medicines get their
drugs from an unknowing friend or relative.
You can take a few simple steps and help prevent
misuse of medications.
1. Talk with your doctor. Decide if a narcotic
is the best option before you fill the prescrip-
tion. There may be other ways to manage
your pain. If you are not going to take it, do
not fill the prescription.
2. If you are prescribed a narcotic medication
from a doctor, make sure you understand
how and when to take it.
3. While taking narcotic medications, keep
them in a locked location away from other
adults and children.
4. When you are done with the course of treat-
ment, dispose of the medication properly.
5. DO NOT leave unused medications (espe-
cially narcotics) in your home.
Safe medication disposal
Permanent medication drop boxes are designed to
be an anonymous, convenient and secure way to
dispose of unused, unwanted or expired medications.
Do not flush medications, pour them down the drain
or throw them in the trash. Each of those presents
some sort of risk, whether it’s an impact on our water
system, a child or pet injured through contact with
the medication, or the potential for the medication
to be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. n
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JOURNEYS Summer 2019
Drug disposal
Public drop boxes are available to securely and
anonymously dispose of unused medications
24/7. DO NOT drop syringes.
Concord:
Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office,
30 Corban Avenue SE
Concord Police Department,
41 Cabarrus Avenue W
Moose Pharmacy, 270 Copperfield Boulevard
Harrisburg:
Harrisburg Hometown Pharmacy, 5006 NC-49
Kannapolis:
Kannapolis Police Department, 401 Laureate Way
Moose Pharmacy, 1113 North Main Street
Mt. Pleasant:
Moose Pharmacy, 8374 W. Franklin Street
CVS and Walgreens pharmacies offer public drop
boxes at select locations. Contact local stores
directly to inquire.
For confidential disposal at home using the
Deterra Drug Deactivation System, call
Cabarrus County EMS Community Paramedics
at 704-920-2600 (option 6), seven days a week
between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.