Destroying medications

Published

At the facility where I work, the DON and policy states we are to crush all discarded or expired medication, 2 nurses sign off and flush down the toilet. All patches are to be wrapped in TP and flushed. Isn't this illegal ? I work in IL. I feel like I'm contaminating our water. What should I do if anything? I'm not an organic freak- but this bothers me.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.
Yes I know there are worse things. Your reply is annoying and u didnt answer the question...

Whoa what the heck just happened here?! I'm out.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
Whoa what the heck just happened here?! I'm out.

So I had to reread your first post. Just my opinion here--is wasn't annoying and did provide an answer to the question. Not sure why it deserved such a mean response.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Around here, we put narcotics in a plastic bag or a glove, pour hot water and liquid soap into it and let the drugs dissolve, then throw the whole (contained) mess in the large sharps container.

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Specializes in cardiac-telemetry, hospice, ICU.

OP, good post. Yes, we need to think about where our waste goes. I have read a lot about this subject online and it seems that flushing is now considered the least desirable means of wasting meds. I usually use the sharps container as this material is either incinerated or put in sealed landfills.

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At my facility, expired or DC'd meds are returned to pharmacy. I believe we get some sort of reimbursement for whatever medication was unused. "Wasted" pills and liquids go into the sharps container.

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The main thing here is LTC facilities must follow their own states licensure regs about the disposal of dc'd meds. No choice, but to do as mandated unless your state gives you options. I've been in LTC 35 years and we have always flushed meds whole, not crushed. That doesn't make it good, just regulated.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Supervisory, HEDIS, IT.

A lot places throw the patches in a sharps container with another nurse. As for the pills, crush them up and put them in a small amount of cat litter, clump it and just discard that in the crash.

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Wow, you all have way more complicated wasting procedures than where I work. We just dump the pill in the sharps container.

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