Do Fibromyalgia Pain Killers Make You a Likely Crime Victim?
How do you dispose of your pain-med bottles? Just a few weeks ago, my husband mentioned that it probably wasn't a good idea to throw my Vicodin empties in the recycle bin. He's a smart guy, my husband -- a few days ago, I read that local criminals are targeting people who they know take narcotic pain killers. They showed up at one elderly woman's door, threatened her, and told them to hand over her oxycodone. And who's to say they won't be back for more?
How can we protect ourselves from crimes like this? Here are a few ideas:
- Don't talk publicly about your pain meds. The fewer people who know about them the better.
- Remove labels before disposal, and put them in bags.
- If you get mail-order prescriptions, consider a locking mailbox.
- If you carry them in your purse, put them in a non-prescription container for when you take them in public.
- The usual safety measures -- lock your door, and don't answer if it's someone you don't know.
I'm sure there are other precautions we could take, so be sure to let us know about any that occur to you -- just leave a comment below! And, if someone does try to steal your pain killers, LET THEM HAVE 'EM! You don't want to get yourself beat up -- or worse -- because you resisted.
Suggested Reading:
- 7 Types of Fibromyalgia Pain + Readers Respond
- Fibromyalgia Drug Treatments
- Supplements for Fibromyalgia
Photo © Jeffrey Hamilton/Getty Images
Comments
You may want to keep the paper that comes with your prescription folded up in a different part of your wallet/purse because if you are pulled over, and an officer searches your belongings, you must be able to prove those pills are prescribed to you. I saw on COPS that carrying unmarked pill bottles without corresponding paperwork is a no-no. It is also helpful if you are in a car accident, to have a current list of your medications.
I recently read article also about what we are doing to environment by disposing of our meds improperly. Thus I have decided to put all my meds not taking or cannot take into a bag and take to pharmacy to destroy. An article about med disposal states
a few small steps can make an important difference in safeguarding lives and protecting the environment.
Follow your medication prescriber’s instructions and use all medications as instructed. If you do not use all of your prescribed or over-the-counter medication, you can take a few small steps to make a huge impact in safeguarding lives and protecting the environment by disposing of unused medicines properly:
DO NOT FLUSH unused medications and DO NOT POUR them down a sink or drain. *
Be Proactive and Dispose of Unused Medication In Household Trash. When discarding unused medications, ensure you protect children and pets from potentially negative effects:
Pour medication into a sealable plastic bag. If medication is a solid (pill, liquid capsule, etc.), crush it or add water to dissolve it.
Add kitty litter, sawdust, coffee grounds (or any material that mixes with the medication and makes it less appealing for pets and children to eat) to the plastic bag.
Seal the plastic bag and put it in the trash.
Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from all medication containers before recycling them or throwing them away.
Check for Approved State and Local Collection Programs. Another option is to check for approved state and local collection alternatives such as community based household hazardous waste collection programs. In certain states, you may be able to take your unused medications to your community pharmacy or other location for disposal.
Consult your pharmacist with any questions.
What’s the best way to remove med bottle labels? I find it extremely difficult due to hand muscle weakness & joint pain.
Jan,
Very good point! Thanks for bringing this up.
I’d recommend soaking them in water. It should dissolve the paper and the adhesive, at least to the point that you can scrape off the important information.
I just wanted to mention a SHOCKING thing that I experienced.
I was in to see my Dr. I’d brought along a bottle of morphine that was no longer working for me, I wanted to turn those in and get a prescription for something that WOULD work.
Well the assistant counted the pills, then sai ” Come with me”….She took me into the bathroom and poured the pills into the toilet ! I was SHOCKED ! I SHOULD HAVE said something ( because even I KNOW that’s NOT the PROPER way to dispose of any meds)……but I kept my mouth shut ! Next time if something like that occures I WILL speak up ! All these meds going into our waters CAN NOT be a good thing! I’d have THOUGHT that they’d KNOW BETTER than that !!!!
I took mine to a pharmacy that looked at me like I was nuts. They told me they just throw them out like I would!
I can’t imagine.
To safeguard my medicines at home, I keep them in a locked firesafe kept in my closet. That way they are out of sight and mind from repairmen or friends of friends that might like to snoop through bathroom cabinets. Even over the counter meds are attractive to addicts. And as an added note…when my husband passed away from cancer..the hospice nurse counted and measured all the morphine and ativan left over from treatment, then flushed it. I didnt know about the risks of that, but after reading the other posts I called to pass on that information.
We recycle our pill bottles here so I take the label off and rip it in to tiny pieces and throw that in to the waste bag and then put the bottle in to the recycle bag. I keep all my meds in my bedroom. The bathroom is the worst place to keep them because of the moisture.
My daughter who is a pharmcist (we are in Canada) says to take the unused meds back to the pharmacy where you got them and either she or my regular pharmacist said that they were incinerated. So they don’t go into the water supply, but who knows what gets into the air!
To get labels off, baby oil will help disolve the adhesive. Leave it on for a while to work.
My doctors office has a big sign up that narcotics will not be replaced, even with a police report. Boy, talk about victimising a crime victim even more! What would I do then? I think I would camp out in their lobby while I went through withdrawl.