Has it been a while since you sifted through all of your medications? Leaving expired and unused drugs in your medicine cabinet “just in case” can put anyone in your home—including children and even pets—at risk for accidental ingestion, misuse, or overdose.
So what should you toss? Though some pills can keep for a decade or even longer, to be safe, our medical consultants say, you should dispose of any medications that are more than a year past their expiration date. (One exception: The antibiotic tetracycline can become toxic after its expiration date and cause kidney problems—so throw out any unused capsules on or before the expiration date.)
But don’t just throw out your meds like you do any other trash. Do this instead:
See 12 surprising new drugstore perks that can save you time and money and how to find the best pharmacy for you.
Not sure where to begin with getting health insurance? Our free interactive tool, Health Law Helper, will point you in the right direction.
This article also appeared in the December 2014 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
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