Help! I should've wasted a medication & didn't!

Well, I would take the vial back to work and try to figure things out. You might end up having to explain yourself to the manager if s/he finds out. Most nurses would do this and not say anything about it.

Take it back. Even if they don't appreciate your honesty you will learn a valuable lesson and when things get tough (or painful) you won't be tempted by the knowledge that you got away with it before so why not try a little. Happens every day in every hospital.

When I first started, I took a few things home, the worst of which was a nicotine patch. Thankfully no narcs, but that was dumb luck. As a result, I started making it a habit to empty my pockets when I leave the floor, every shift, no exceptions. I have found Ativan, dilaudid, morphine and a couple empty toradol vials in my pocket. Because I find them before I leave the hospital, I can usually trace them back to the right patients & waste them in the right way, and I don't have to fret about getting in trouble. The few times I have found meds after getting home, I either call the charge nurse or take them back the next shift and let the charge know. Use this as a learning experience and make it a habit to empty your pockets at the end of your shift while you're still at work.

We have all done it. Each and every one of us. Don't beat yourself up over it.

I take it you don't know which day you wore the uniform that you found the phenobarb in?

Yeah, we've all done this if we've been working for a while, with some drug or another. I'd say honesty is the best policy (and I do usually believe this), but at one of my places of employment, I most certainly did NOT feel this way. Only you know what would be the best plan of attack. But do start emptying your pockets daily!!

I almost did this and I'm a nursing student...I had a 10mg vial with 8mg left in my pocket from a med pass.

It seems like hospitals waste A LOT of those drugs. I medicated my patient with 2mg (0.2mL) of morphine via IVP and the other 8mg was wasted in the sink with witnesses, of course. So, just out of curiosity...why can't you just return the rest of the medication vial to the drawer?

Once the integrity of the vial or package of anything has been breeched you can't return it. There would be no way to authenticate that that was morphine in the vial. You could have diverted the drug and replaced it with saline. It's the world we live in. I don't give anything unless I draw it up myself.

Don't know how new or interesting this might be for anyone but FWIW

Anybody ever peruse the 'disciplinary actions' section of your state BON site?
Since we all(and even if you haven't done this particular mistake like OP, don't worry, there's somethin' here for almost everyone) know that real world nursing is rarely the utopia of school/NCLEX-like practice scenarios where there is staffing and 1to1 care available for all
I was just a little taken aback by some of the offenses listed. Oh and bolded emphasis is theirs:

1. Respondent removed 8mg. morphine from Pxysis when physician order was for 4mg.
(no issue w/wastage btw, that appears all good, just the discrepency in what was ordered vs. removed)
oooohhh...
2. Respondent removed 'whatever' at 2335. Documented medication given at 2330, however this was fully five minutes before med removal.

3. Respondent adminstered 'whatever' according to MD order and patient was d/c at 1300. Wasted 'appropriate amount' with 'appropriate witness' at 1341. This was almost 45 minutes after patient left department.

Let's see......only comes in 8's
my watch/yer computer's off,
wth? I couldn't get anyone in to waste w/me until then and oh yeah, bed C decided then would be good time to, y'know, code...

Don't know why I'm surprised anymore, and yes I know they're there for the public's protection and not ours, and NO, these aren't me nor am I in any trouble...
just over the the ability to make whatitis appear all 'shady'...
eh, just found that section today and it just teed me off.