Safe ways to discard your old medication

? The government has issued new guidelines for disposing of leftover medications aimed at preventing both pollution and drug abuse.

Pharmacies around the country have signed up for a pilot project with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to distribute information on how to properly dispose of unused medicine.

The guidelines:

¢ Don’t flush unused drugs down the toilet, unless they’re one of a handful that expressly advises that on the prescription label.

¢ Crush or dissolve leftover medicine in a little water. Then mix with a yucky substance – cat litter, coffee grounds, even dog waste – in a sealed plastic bag or other unmarked container, and put in the trash. That renders the drug unpalatable if a child, animal or drug abuser rummages through the trash.

¢ Remove and destroy the prescription label and any other personal identifying information from the original drug container before throwing it away.

¢ An alternative is to call pharmacies or local environmental or hazardous waste collection sites, to see if they run drug “take-back” programs.

¢ Some medicines should never be left over. Antibiotics in particular come in the exact quantity you’re supposed to take. Stop before they’re gone and your infection can return, possibly in a harder-to-treat form.