your medicine cabinet deserves some spring cleaning too

with better weather just around the corner, you might be thinking about getting started on some spring cleaning in the next few weeks. and while there are the regular places within a home that can always use some tlc — closets, the refrigerator — there’s one place that should be part of your cleaning and organizing routine: the medicine cabinet.

how do you throw medicine out?

according to the canadian medical association journal (cmaj) , there are two main reasons people don’t get rid of medicine. the first is “inertia” — it’s simply easier to leaving something where it is than to go through the effort of disposing it. also, people have a natural inclination to keep something that might be useful later, especially if it is inconvenient or expensive to replace.

however, these inclinations can be dangerous, particularly in the case of opioids, benzodiazepines and stimulants, which can be misused and should be disposed of immediately if no longer needed by the person they were prescribed to. in fact, according to camh , 67 per cent of students using opioid painkillers for non-medical reasons reported getting them from home.

the government of canada advises residents to return unused and expired medication to an pharmacy for safe disposal. some municipalities also offer take-back programs for drugs, as well as medical sharps.

if your medication is old, don’t take it

according to the fda , once a medicine’s expiry date has passed, there’s a chance it may not be safe or effective. in fact, some drugs, when passed the due date, can grow bacteria, potentially creating serious health issues.

poison risk

another reason not to keep medication that you don’t need, is the risk it poses to pets and children. the public health agency of canada reports that an average of three deaths happen each year in canada among children aged 14 years old and under from unintentional poisoning. another 900 are hospitalized with serious injuries.