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As we all know, part of chronic illness is taking medication. While we talk a lot about it in the chronic illness community, it’s mainly in the form of, “Have you tried Medication A?” and “What were your side effects with Medication B?” We don’t often talk about the other part of prescriptions – what we do with them when we’re not taking them, and what to do with them when we stop them. 

Since National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is coming up on April 22, 2023, let’s talk about essential tips for managing your prescriptions, and the best way to safely dispose of unwanted or expired medications: LifeInCheck Consumer Drug Take-Back™.

Essential Prescription Tips

Take them exactly as prescribed – This is incredibly important, but not something we always address. There’s a lot of administration work needed to take multiple medications! Some medications require you to take them on an empty stomach, some require you to take them on a full stomach. Some require you to take them multiple times a day, some require you to take them once. All of these things are important to know so your body has the best chance to react positively to them.

It can’t work effectively if you only take it sometimes or at different times of the day – Let’s get more specific than the last point! Some medications require you to take your medication at a consistent time of the day, so make sure you’ve read your prescription label and are doing that. And if your medication requires you to take it three times a day, take it three times a day! Taking it once or twice when it’s supposed to be thrice doesn’t cut it.

Take all of your antibiotics – There’s a reason why you’re supposed to take all of an antibiotic: you can form antibiotic resistance if you don’t take the full dose of an antibiotic. This is also one of the reasons why your doctor tells you to take the full dose, even when you feel better. But another reason is that you might not have beaten the infection when you start to feel better, and if you stop it too soon (aka before you’re supposed to), the infection can come back. 

Store them exactly as prescribed – I know this seems self-evident, but it’s important to know. If you’re on a medication that requires you to refrigerate it, you probably know that. But you need to make sure you’re actually doing it. Beyond that, though, it’s important to store them correctly. Many times it’s in a dark place that doesn’t get hot (or too cold). Make sure you know what your medications require. 

Don’t stop a medication without talking to your doctor – There are a wide variety of reasons why you shouldn’t do this, so let’s get into them. 

 Why You Shouldn’t Stop a Medication without Talking to Your Doctor

Reason 1 – Going off of medication can be difficult on your system and should be done under medical supervision. 

While you might assume this is only true of controlled substances, it really isn’t. If you want to stop taking medication, talk to your doctor and get their approval. But don’t do anything without their say.

Reason 2 – Going off because of a side effect? The side effect might be a bigger deal than you realize. 

You never know if a side effect is a sign of a bigger problem in your body. It’s really best to let your doctor know what you’re dealing with in case what you’re experiencing is a sign of a bigger problem.

Reason 3 – Some medications require you to take them for months to see if they work. Not working after only a few weeks is normal.

Very few medications work immediately after the first dose. In fact, there are some that require you to take them for weeks or even months before they can work. You don’t want to stop taking a medication before it has had the chance to work.

I’ve been a diagnosed chronic illness patient since 2010, and it took a long time to find the right medication combination that works for me. The reason it took so long is that I had to take my medications for 2-3 months before we could say with any certainty if they worked. 

It was incredibly frustrating to have to wait months and months before I could try something new. But I stuck with it and took every dose of my medication correctly because I wanted to be 100% positive that something wasn’t working before I gave up on it. 

This was especially tricky as I was in college and trying to manage medications and symptoms in addition to everything college. At one point, I had to take pills 3 times a day. As a grown-up in my 30s, that’s pretty easy for me. But as a 20-year-old managing college, chronic illness symptoms, and taking medication, not so much. I knew it was important, though, so I had to find a way to do it.

So how did I stay on top of it? It’s a shockingly easy solution.

I set alarms on my phone 3 times a day. I made sure that they were alarms without sound to not disturb other people, but I was always on my phone, so the risk of me missing an alarm was very slim. 

I still use this strategy, as it’s an easy way to ensure I remember to take all of my medication.   

Now that we’ve covered reasons why you shouldn’t stop taking a medication without a doctor’s permission, let’s discuss tips for safely disposing of unwanted or expired medication. 

The Best Way To Get Rid of Medication You’re No Longer Taking

There are a variety of reasons why you shouldn’t keep unwanted or expired medication, so before we get into the best way to dispose of it, let’s talk about those reasons.

One, if it’s a controlled substance, removing it helps the people you love not be tempted to take it recreationally. 

Two, medication expires! You don’t want to think you have an okay-to-take medication when you don’t. 

Three, if you take a lot of medications, you don’t want to think you have all your medications when you don’t. 

So you’re ready to get rid of your unwanted or expired medication. How should you do it?

You should find the LifeInCheck Consumer Drug Take-Back ™ location near you. 

There are a couple of reasons for it, but they all boil down to it being the safest way. Sure, pouring something down the toilet is cinematic, which is why it’s in TV shows and movies. But it’s bad for the environment. And yeah, throwing medication in the trash is the easiest way, but we want to keep the world safe for everyone, from the people living with substance use disorder to the animals scavenging through the trash. 

Putting your unwanted to expired medication in one of these kiosks helps your fellow people and the environment around you. 

LifeInCheck has created this tool to help you safely dispose of unused or expired medications. Simply enter your zip code and we will provide a list of safe drug take-back kiosks in your area. Thank you for helping to protect your family and our communities.

And again, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 22, 2023. That’s a great day to safely dispose of your unwanted or expired medications!