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Prescription drug take-back information

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is focused on alleviating the health and safety concerns from the diversion and misuse of prescription drugs by helping our citizens properly dispose of unused prescription medications. Many young people who misuse prescription drugs take them from medicine cabinets. Keeping unused opioids or other common drugs of misuse in a medicine cabinet is no longer safe or responsible.

WHAT TO DO: Lock Up – Don’t Share – Safely Dispose

  1. Lock up all your medications
  2. Don’t share your medications with anyone or take someone else’s medications
  3. Safely dispose of unused or unwanted medications. When you pick up a prescription, ask your pharmacist for drug disposal pouches or find a drug take-back box.

How to prepare items for disposal:
  • All prescribed medications to be disposed of should be contained inside their original bottle or placed inside a small sealed container (i.e. plastic bottle) or zip-lock bag
  • Personal information should be removed or marked out with a permanent marker

Items that DEA regulations allow to be disposed of: Each take-back location has the right to determine what items they will accept in their box.
  • Over-the-counter medications
  • Prescription medications
  • Prescription patches
  • Prescription ointments
  • Vitamins
  • Pet medicines

You may NOT drop off:
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Compressed cylinders or aerosols (e.g., asthma inhalers)
  • Iodine-containing medications
  • Thermometers
  • Alcohol & illicit drugs (i.e. marijuana, heroin, LSD, etc.)