National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

Recent research confirms what we have seen in the news all too often lately: millions of Americans are abusing prescription drugs, with more and more people finding and using drugs from the medicine cabinents of their own family and friends. In fact, of adults who reported misusing opioids in the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 60% did not have a prescription. And nearly half of all adults misusing opioids (41%) obtained non-prescribed drugs for free from loved ones.

As concerns around the opioid epidemic and prescription drug abuse continue to rise, it is more important than ever for physicians to have an open dialogue with patients about the use and misuse of medications—and to give them a chance to dispose of medications they no longer need. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day initiative seeks to address the significant public safety and public health issues that arise from unused or expired prescriptions. The fourteenth semi-annual observance and collection event is scheduled for October 28, 2017.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and The DEA Diversion Control Division, the event promotes the safe and responsible disposal of prescription medications by allowing individuals to turn in unused or expired prescription drugs at designated locations.

Physicians can use this opportunity to remind patients how to safely dispose of their medications and direct them to local collection sites, which can be found on the DEA’s website.

For more information or for posters and handouts to share with patients, practices can also visit the DEA’s Drug Disposal Information page or its Partnership Toolbox.