Dispose of old medicines? 

What do you think is the recommended way to dispose of old medicines?

1. Keep them as a backup, just in case…
2. Give them to someone else who has similar symptoms
3. Flush them down the toilet or sink
4. Return them to your Doctor or Pharmacy.
Hands up all those who chose No 4. Give yourself a pat on the back.
For years we have been told to flush them down the sink or toilet, but we now know that this puts undesirable elements into the environment. We see antibiotics turning up in fish. We see human hormones turning up in all sorts of sea creatures. And those medicines can even find their way into the drinking water and affect other human beings directly.
Sadly, it seems that more than half of the population do indeed dispose of their old medicines this way.
We know that we should get rid of them, not least because they represent a safety hazard for our kids, and maybe even for us if we take them years after they have expired. But the answer is to take them back to the Doctor or Pharmacist, who can arrange for them to be safely incinerated.
Go check your medicine cupboard NOW! Put all the expired stuff into a carton and store it up high and out of sight and out of reach of your kids, until you have time to take it in. And as soon as possible take it to be disposed of - the right way.