Who doesn't have heaps of expired drugs in their medicine cabinet that you don't know what to do with? Above all, these should not be used to treat other pathologies for which they were originally intended. Indeed, medicines contain active substances which can be dangerous to health once their expiry date has passed. In addition, if you have grandchildren, these expired medicines may also pose risks for them, including poisoning. This is why you need to get rid of your expired medications. The only and best solution is to bring them back to the pharmacy where they will then be recycled with respect for the environment and public health.
It often happens that the drugs prescribed by the doctor are not all consumed. In fact, many of us are those who keep these pharmaceutical products in a corner of the house, even after they are expired. We all know this accumulation of leftover antibiotics, syrups, ointments, sprays for the nose or throat, etc., which remain stored in a box or in the medicine cabinet without us knowing what is in it. do.
Some think it is useful to keep these drugs in stock to use during the next cold, flu or gastroenteritis! But beware, once these stored medicines have expired, it is better not to consume them, on the one hand because their expiry date guaranteeing their effectiveness has passed and, on the other hand, given their mode of conservation. rarely complying with the guidelines of pharmaceutical companies can make them toxic. A drug kept in good conditions (good temperature, refrigerator, away from heat, humidity, light, etc.) can be kept for between 2 and 5 years. But, once expired, if ingested, some drugs can cause infections, especially if they have been poorly stored and microbes have been able to proliferate in them, or poisoning.
On the other hand, medical treatment is always prescribed for a particular pathology. The same medicine will not necessarily be useful for another illness that seems similar.
At best, some expired drugs have lost their active ingredients and are no longer really useful. At worst, expired medicines can be dangerous, especially if your grandchildren discover their presence and, unsuspectingly, imagine that they may be candy and swallow them and become intoxicated. For seniors, the risks of getting the wrong medication also exist and are just as dangerous.
Also note:some medications, on the other hand, should never be used once they have expired. For example eye drops, all injectable drugs, creams and gels for the skin, syrups, or even those against high blood pressure among others.
A drug is not a waste like any other. Its components are indeed sensitive products, active substances, often of chemical origin. Throwing them in the household waste bin can contribute to soil and water pollution.
This is why sorting and properly disposing of expired medications, or not for that matter, is a citizen gesture, but also a good prevention to avoid the risks of poisoning at home in particular.
The only way to get rid of your unused medicines, expired or not, is to bring them back to your pharmacy. These pharmacies are indeed required to collect the drugs. Then, the Cyclamed association, which is approved by the public authorities to collect and recover what are called Unused Medicines (UNM), is responsible for securing their disposal in order to preserve the environment, but also public health.
Before bringing your medicines back to a pharmacy so that they can be recycled by the Cyclamed association, you must first sort them.
First, you must identify your expired medications. Indeed, some of them are not among those that can be collected. This is the case, for example, of food supplements, veterinary products, thermometers and needles and syringes. On the other hand, you can bring to your pharmacist all medicines in the form of tablets, syrups, aerosols, sprays, inhalers, as well as ointments, creams and gels. In case of doubt, Cyclamed provides a search engine on its website which allows, by entering the name of a drug, to know if it is recyclable or not.
Next, you need to separate the cardboard packaging and paper leaflets from the actual medications. This waste can, in fact, be thrown at home in your bin provided for this type of sorting.
Finally, once your medicines have expired or not, sorted in this way, you can drop them off at the nearest pharmacy to your home.
