What are the risks of keeping unused medicines?

Open your fridge or medicine cabinet and see. Are there any leftover painkillers, unfinished antibiotics, expired antihistamines, or unwanted statins?

Why are they there? Perhaps you have bought more over-the-counter medicines than required or have recovered from your illness faster than expected, or there has been a change of medical treatment, or you think you can do without the prescribed medicines.

Whatever the reason may be for having unused medicines in the house, there is still the question, “What do I do with them now?” Shall I flush them down the toilet, pour them down the sink, throw them into the rubbish bin or just keep them “for rainy days”?

But “Why worry? What risks are there in keeping these unused medicines in the house?” Well, medicines are chemicals that have the potential to do good or cause harm to a living thing, depending on how we use them. Expired or spoiled medicine may be less effective due to a change in its chemical composition or a decrease in its potency. This may lead to treatment failure. Certain expired medicines are at risk of bacterial growth and may result in more serious illness. Besides these, there are also the risks of accidental ingestion by young children or pets in the house if these unused medicines are not properly kept or disposed of. There is also the possibility of mixing up new and old medicines, leading to undesirable effects. Therefore, the best is to avoid having unused medicines at home.

This article is brought to you by CARiNG Pharmacy in collaboration with our partners. Ready to turn in your unwanted medicine? Send them to your nearest CARiNG Pharmacy stores now for safe medicine disposal!