The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) holds National Prevention Week during the second week of May each year. Its purpose is to raise awareness of substance use and mental health and to highlight prevention as an important strategy to promote brighter futures. In recognition of the week, Travis Sutter, PharmD, Aultman addiction medicine and complex pain pharmacist, discusses medication storage safety.

One of the best ways to prevent or reduce accidental medication exposures is to ensure proper and safe storage of medications at home.

In 2024, U.S. poison control centers responded to more than 2 million human exposures, with medications being the most common substance exposure. Pain medications accounted for more than 10% of all human exposures. More than a third of human exposure cases were from children ages 5 and under.

Not only does safe storage of medications reduce incidental medication exposures, but it can also have a profound impact in reducing prescription medication misuse.

SAMHSA reports that many prescription medication misuse cases result from obtaining medications from the home of family or friends. The National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates that 5% of Americans ages 12 and older have misused prescription medication in the past 12 months.

Safe Medication Storage Tips

Follow these guidelines to help prevent medication from falling into the wrong hands.

• Store medications out of sight. This reduces the chance that children will accidentally access medications that may cause harm.
• Keep medications in their original packaging or in prescription bottles. Labels provide important information regarding safety and appropriate dosing. Many containers are child-resistant.
• Maintain an inventory of medications. Being aware of the medications in your home will make it easier to notice when something is missing. Also, maintaining an inventory will help you ensure that your medications are not expired.
• Consider locking up controlled medications. It is recommended to store controlled sleep medications, benzodiazepines, opioids and stimulants in a locked location so that no one else can take them.

Proper Medication Disposal

Drug take back programs are ideal for safely disposing of medication, but there are also ways to safely dispose of medication at home.

Drug Take Back Programs

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hosts National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events twice per year in April and October. These events provide the community with a safe way to dispose of medication because unused and/or expired medications can increase the risk of incidental ingestion or misuse.

The DEA has collected more than 20 million pounds of unused or expired medications since it began hosting take back events in 2010.

In addition, many pharmacies, hospitals and law enforcement agencies offer year-round medication drop boxes. Use the DEA’s drop-off location search page to find one near you.

Home Disposal Methods

Ask your provider or pharmacist for disposal products such as Deterra®, DisposeRx® or mail-back envelopes.

If you do not have a disposal method at home, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that you mix your medications with an undesirable substance (dirt, used coffee grounds, cat litter), place the mixture in a sealed container and dispose of it in the household trash.

Reserve flushing medications for instances when there are not other disposal options available, and use the FDA Flush List to determine if it is safe to flush your medication.

Getting Started

Ensuring that your medications are safely stored and disposed of can help protect your household, your community and the environment.

In just a few minutes, you can:

• Take an inventory of your medications.
• Store your medications out of sight and consider locking them up.
• Identify locations or resources in your community to ensure proper disposal of unused and expired medications.

Do not hesitate to ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider about medication safety, storage tips or disposal options.

Sources:
2024 Annual Report of the National Poison Data System® (NPDS) from America’s Poison Centers®: 42nd annual report
Department of Health and Human Services
Drug Enforcement Administration
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration