parents puzzled when it comes to expired drugs, survey finds

the presence of expired medicine in the house can create 'an unnecessary health risk for children,' one expert said.

by dave yasvinski

published oct 25, 2022

3 minute read

join the conversation

3 minute read

join the conversation

half of parents don't get rid of expired medication: poll

study found that roughly one-third of parents believed it to be unsafe to give their child expired medication. getty

nearly half of parents have unused prescription medication lying around the house, according to an american poll that found the majority of people don’t know how to safely dispose of these drugs before they have a chance fall into the wrong hands. the survey, which was conducted by the c.s. mott children’s hospital in ann arbor, michigan between august and september, found that parents were largely confused about how long medications last and how to minimize the risk of harm when removing them from their home.

“we found that it’s common for parents to keep medicines long after they are expired or no longer needed, which creates an unnecessary health risk for children,” said sarah clark, the mott poll co-director. “younger children getting into medicine in the home is a major source of unintentional poisonings. for older children, access to these medicines brings risk of experimentation, diversion to peers or other intentional misuse.”

according to the survey of 2,023 parents, less than half of respondents believed over-the-counter drugs were less effective once they had expired. “parents may not realize that medicine is expired until they need it to address their child’s symptoms,” clark said.

“at that point, they must decide if they will give the expired medicine to their child or go out to purchase new medicine.”

although roughly one-third of parents believed it to be unsafe to give their child expired medication, a similar number of people felt it was still fine after three months. the remaining one-third thought it was ok for expired medication to be used past the six-month mark.

the u.s. food and drug administration takes a strict stance on the subject, warning that the use of expired medical products can be “risky and possibly harmful” to one’s health.

“the expiration date is the manufacturer’s guarantee that a medication is fully safe and effective; over time, the medicine will lose its effectiveness,” clark said. “parents considering whether to give their child medicine long past its expiration date should question how well it will work.”

disposing of old medication

when it came to getting rid of expired or unneeded medication, only three in five parents said they were more careful disposing of prescription drugs than the over-the-counter variety. almost 75 per cent of parents did not know which drugs needed to be mixed with coffee grounds or kitty litter to make them unappealing to children and pets. one in seven have flushed medicine down the toilet.

the best method, according to clark, is to drop old medications off at a doctor’s office, pharmacy or hospital for proper disposal.

“unused and expired medications are a public safety issue and pose health risks to children,” she said. “it’s important that parents dispose of them properly when they’re no longer needed to reduce risks of kids getting sick as well as the negative impact on the environment.”

to play it safe, researchers recommend only purchasing the amount of medication your family needs and returning to the pharmacy at a later date if more is required. over-the-counter and prescription drugs should be kept in their original packaging to preserve dosing and best before information. these dates should be checked twice a year, especially prior to flu and allergy season.

if there are older kids in the house, certain medication should be locked away or at least monitored. if you can’t find a return site for your unused prescription drugs, researchers say they can be thrown in the trash, provided they are first dissolved in a bag of water, mixed with kitty litter or coffee grinds and then sealed and thrown away. avoid sending old medication down the drain as there is a chance they can get into the water supply and endanger other residents.