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As part of its commitment to curbing the epidemic of prescription drug misuse, Cleveland Clinic is providing a safe method for disposal of medications that are expired or no longer needed. Three medication disposal kiosks have been installed in the outpatient pharmacies at the Richard E. Jacobs Family Health Center in Avon, Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights and the Euclid Avenue Pharmacy at Cleveland Clinic main campus.

Any approved prescription medications are accepted, including aerosols, liquids in sealed containers, tablets, capsules, creams and lotions. Disposals can be done anonymously. Illegal drugs, sharps, loose liquid, and non-pharmaceutical products cannot be deposited. Following DEA recommendations, once disposed of, the medications are taken to a disposal facility and incinerated. Medications can be dropped off during pharmacy hours.

“Overdoses and deaths from prescription medication are a serious problem in our community and across the country,” said Rebecca Starck, M.D., president of Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital. “Safely removing unused medications from the home can be a vital step in both preventing drug abuse and decreasing accidental exposures.”

Keeping unused medications can lead to accidental exposures and drug abuse. According to the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse, an estimated 54 million people have used medications for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetime. Opioids are among the most misused prescriptions – with 75 percent of those who abuse reporting their first opioid was a prescription. The NIH reports that unintentional opioid pain reliever deaths have quadrupled since 1999, and that nearly 80 percent of heroin users reported using prescription opioids prior to heroin.

“Not only does this provide a safe and convenient way for patients to dispose of drugs they no longer need, it is an environmentally-friendly method that prevents controlled substances from getting into the water system and the environment,” said Scott Knoer, PharmD, Chief Pharmacy Officer at Cleveland Clinic.

April 28 is the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which aims to raise awareness of responsible means of prescription drug disposal and to educate the public about medication abuse.

Disposal kiosks are available during regular pharmacy hours, which are as follows:

More information on how Cleveland Clinic is dealing with the opioid epidemic can be found here.