An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

In this section: Buying & Using Medicine Safely

Safe Disposal of Medicines

A list of resources on how to safely dispose of old or expired drugs

Medicines play an important role in treating certain conditions and diseases, but they must be taken with care. Unused portions of these medicines must be disposed of properly to avoid harm. The resources listed below provide important information about safe disposal of medicines.

Sub-Topic Paragraphs

Safely dispose of unused medicine

What You Should Know about Drug Disposal

Learn how to safely dispose of unused or expired drugs

Remove the Risk

Safe Opioid Disposal - Remove the Risk Outreach Toolkit

Use these free toolkit materials for talking with others about safe opioid disposal

FDA.gov Health PlayBook

FDA Health Playbook PSAs

Public service announcements about safe disposal of unused opioid pain medicines

Fentanyl Patch Can Be Deadly to Children

Accidental Exposures to Fentanyl Patches Continue to Be Deadly to Children

How to Dispose of Unused Medicines

Best ways to dispose of your expired, unwanted, or unused medicines

Safe Disposal of Needles, Syringes, and Other 'Sharps'

Tips for safely disposing needles and other sharp devices

Safe medicine disposal options

A CDER Conversation with Douglas Throckmorton, MD

Disposal of Unused Medicines

FDA Drug Info Rounds pharmacists discuss medication disposal options

Don’t Be Tempted to Use Expired Medicines

Taking out-of-date drugs carries certain risks

Safely Dispose of Prescription Medicines

NIH - National Institute on Drug Abuse

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

DEA - Safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs

Risks with environmental release of pharmaceuticals on FDA "flush list"

NIH - National Library of Medicine Scientific Articles

Collecting and Disposing of Unwanted Medicines

EPA - What to do with Unwanted or Expired Medicines

Top