The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit along with Chatham-Kent Drug Awareness Council, Chatham-Kent PUC, Tilbury Drug Awareness Community Partnership and Chatham-Kent Police Service wish to remind you to clean out your medicine cabinet returning old and no longer used medications to a local pharmacy every time, all the time.
Don't flush it! Don't trash it! Don't share it! Return it!
Every Time...All the Time!
Why is this important?
Preventing a Fall
To decrease your chance of having a fall, each year review all the medication you take with a pharmacist, your doctor or other health care provider. Medications include prescriptions, over the counter pills, vitamins and herbal supplements. Get to know your medications.
- Medications can affect you differently as you age
- Medications that relax you, help you sleep or improve your mood can increase your risk of falling
- Some medications have side effects that may increase your chance of falling - learn the side effects of the medications you take.
- Returning your medication to a pharmacy decreases the chance of taking outdated medication or a medication incorrectly.
- Alcohol affects how medications work – be careful
Drug Abuse Prevention
- 18% of Ontario youth report non-medical use of prescription pain relievers.
- 75% of these youth report getting the medication from home.
Make sure you lock up all medications. Prescription pain medications can be stolen and resold illegally to people abusing it, for example: crushing the pill then snorting or injecting it with a needle.
Proper Disposal of Unused Medications
Flushing medications down the toilet or drain or tossing them in the garbage can harm wildlife, pollute lakes, rivers, and drinking water.
- Medicines in wastewater cannot be removed by treatment plants.
- Improper disposal of sharps such as needles increases the risk of injury and disease.