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Medication safety

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that misue of medication results in 700,000 emergency department visits and 120,000 hospitalizations annually. As the population ages and access to medications grows along with prescription drug coverage, it is important to know how to safely use, store and dispose of medications.

Wellspring Pharmacy is dedicated to medication safety for all our patients. These resources provide information on proper medication use, accidental poisoning, medication safety in the home, disposal of prescription drugs, and more.

• CDC Medication Safety Program
  Help prevent harm from medications with the CDC's tips on safe drug use, accidental poisoning, cough and cold medicines, safety tips for storing medications in the home, and more.
• Up and Away and Out of Sight
  Every year, more than 60,000 young children end up in emergency rooms because they got into medicines while their parent or caregiver was not looking. The Up and Away and Out of Sight educational program was created to remind families of the importance of safe medicine storage.
• FDA guide to disposal of medications
  Information on safe disposal options for unused medications, including take-back programs, home disposal and flushable medicines.
• Poison prevention 
  Information about what you can do to prevent accidental poisoning. Progam 800-222-1222 into your cell phone for help in a poison emergency.

Proper disposal of prescription drugs

Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet or drain unless the label specifically instructs you to do so. For information on drugs that should be flushed, check the FDA's recommended flushable medicine list.

Wellspring's medication take-back program

To dispose of medications not labeled to be flushed, take advantage of Wellspring Pharmacy's quarterly take-back program at any Wellspring Pharmacy location.

What will be accepted

• Pills
• Capsules
• Medicine in original prescription vial with original label
• Over-the-counter (OTC) items in original container with original label

What will NOT be accepted

• Liquids
• Aerosols
• Inhalers
• Nitroglycerin
• Controlled substances
• Illegal substances
• Anything marked "toxic," "corrosive," "reactive," "ignitable," "flammable," or "poison"
• Pill organizers
• Vitamins

If you have substances not eligible for these programs, follow FDA guidelines for proper disposal:

1. Take your prescription drugs out of their original containers.
2. Mix drugs with cat litter or used coffee grounds.
3. Put the mixture into a disposable container with a lid, such as an empty margarine tub, or into a sealable bag.
4. Remove any personal information on the empty containers.
5. Place in the trash.

Be SMART and let Wellspring Pharmacy dispose of your prescriptions the RIGHT way!