Do Fibromyalgia Pain Killers Make You a Likely Crime Victim?

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.

If you have your meds delivered the old fashioned by car by individual pharmacy make sure to tell them not to leave ANYTHING hanging on your door. Either put it in bottom of screen where no one can see it or if your not home tell them not to deliver it! I had seen someone following the car emblazened with the pharmacy name – should they have it all over the car is that safe? Something to think about. – Ita Keyley

I take the labels off and throw them in the trash and take the bottles/containers and put them in the recycle bin. I try not to get rid of too many at a time.

We also have a “Pill Drop” in our area a few times a year. we can take old prescriptions and OTC meds to the police department and they will dispose of them properly, so as not to hurt the environment. So I save unused meds in a closet until those times come around.

Adrienne,
What a wonderful tip! I am always cautious about others hearing me talk about my meds or seeing them in my purse, but I didn’t give this a second thought! I definitely will from now on, and will inform other family members as well!
Thanks for your blog! I appreciate it!
~Marci

The best way to remove labels from pill bottles is either to fill them with very hot water and let them set about a minute or fill them with water and put them in the microwave for 10-30 seconds depending on the size of the bottle. Take it out and the label will peel right off. I keep my bottles and Freecycle them to scouts or whoever that wants them for crafts. To know more about Freecycle and to find a group in your area go to Freecycle.org It’s a great way to keep things out of landfills.

This is a loaded topic:

• In most states, it is illegal to carry your medication in anything other than the one it came in. As an ex Police Officer, I think this is because they want to be able to confirm that you really should have the meds. This victimizes those of us who have to take a lot of meds, because I don’t want to carry four bottles around all day. Oh well. I guess a copy of the prescription might work, but most cops go by the “I don’t write the law, I just enforce it” mantra. So better a little uncomfortable then sorry.

What I do is keep the bottle from the last refill, and only carry what I need for the day. While this is less convenient, it lessens my risk of loss and covers the letter of the law.

• We have relatives with substance abuse issues. Your RX should always be secured in a locking drawer or cabinet. A good one. Drug addicts are resourceful.

• And yes, those of us who need opioids to deal with long term pain are treated like addicts and it pisses me off. But that is a topic for another post.

There was a time when my doctor was prescribing my meds for three months at a time. That meant HUGE bottles. Like I was going to drag those around in my purse?!! So I asked the pharmacy tech if he could make me additional smaller containers with the label on them. Apparently that wasn’t the first time that had been requested because he got right on it like it was no big deal. Might not work at your pharmacy but it’s worth a try.