While medicine and research have provided medications to ease suffering and pain and improve the quality of life for individuals, the potential for abuse, diversion, overdose, and death has risen significantly. When not taken as prescribed, prescription drugs can be just as dangerous as illegal drugs.
Tips to appropriately use your medications:
Most people who abuse/misuse prescription painkillers report getting their drugs from friends or family members. Oklahomans must have secure and convenient ways to store medications.
Tips to safeguard your medications:
Consumers and caregivers should remove expired, unwanted, or unused medications from their home as quickly as possible to help reduce the chance that others may accidentally take or intentionally misuse the unneeded medication. Below are some options and special instructions for you to consider when disposing of expired, unwanted, or unused medications.
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control coordinates the program Safe Trips for Scripts. This program provides medication drop boxes in local law enforcement agencies across the state. Click here to find a drop box location near you.
If there isn't a drop box available in your area, you can follow these simple steps to dispose of most medications in the household trash:
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are a small number of medications that may be especially harmful and, in some cases, fatal with just one dose if they are used by someone other than the patient for whom the medication was prescribed. To prevent accidental ingestion by children, pets, or anyone else, a few medications have specific disposal instructions indicating they should be flushed down the sink or toilet as soon as they are no longer needed, and when they cannot be disposed of through a medication drop box. Click here for a list of medications recommended for disposal by flushing.
Mailing Address: Oklahoma State Department of Health Injury Prevention Service 123 Robert S. Kerr. Ave Suite 1702 Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
Physical Address: Oklahoma State Department of Health Injury Prevention Service 123 Robert S. Kerr. Ave Oklahoma City, OK
Telephone: (405) 426-8440 Fax: (405) 900-7588