Unable to return/reuse prescription medicines

Inter Care will accept some unused medicines to send to Sub Saharan Africa. Email [email protected] to find out if they can use your meds.

It is a safety matter sadly.

I understand why they do not take it back

Many thanks for the link mrsHom, I've contacted them and will let you all know what they say.

Bluebelle, you say:

"We cannot even give them to other countries, again because we could be giving them something that at best didn’t work at worst harmed people

Would you want to be the receiver of medication which could be less effective or even dangerous

What would be your suggestion ?"

Well, how can you say that at best they wouldn't work? Surely 'at best' they would work perfectly well! There is a minute chance, I suppose, that some lunatic may have tampered with them, but if I was living in a third world country with no medication, I would certainly take the chance. I'm sure the distribution companies could put checks in place.

Here is a link to the Pharmaceutical Journal that seems to support the practice. pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/the-covid-19-pandemic-has-forced-the-government-to-allow-medicines-reuse-we-must-not-waste-this-opportunity-to-counter-our-throwaway-culture

One of the most dispiriting things I have ever done was to pour away over 100 bottles of high calorie baby milk. It was prescribed to my dgd who received supplementary feeding. Her prescription was changed and we had over 100 bottles of the “old” prescription, I called various charities but, because it was prescription, it was of no use.
To see appeal for famine relief while destroying high quality nutrition was galling.

the reply was that "they could have been stored in unsuitable conditions"

That doesn't explain why the customer has to take the meds out of the packaging.
Maybe it's to be sure it is meds and not an incendiary device?

GrandmaTK for 5 years I collected amongst a host of items medications for refugees and there are very strict guidelines we could send over the counter meds but no prescription meds at all because no one knows how they ve been kept what conditions or if they would be useful after use by date collection storage and travel no one would like to find the answer more than me but I don’t think it is as simple as you believe
The one area that does disgust me with the NHS is their often refusal to take back loaned items like crutches walking frames etc (and these after refusal can be sent overseas and be very useful)
Working in a charity shop we so often get people bring these in saying they ve tried so hard to give them back When my mum and dad died I had all sorts of things that needed to be returned and was often turned away, once because one had lost the nhs label They can easily be cleaned and reused but it’s very very hard to return them

I think the non return of medical aids like crutches is organised at local level. Our hospitals have drop off points, and it is cleaned and re-used (Wales).

Yes, Salisbury Hospital takes back crutches etc, the have a drop off point in the main entrance

No luck with Intercare sadly, they replied...

Unfortunately due to changes in legislation, we are no longer able to accept patient returned medicines – which includes those returned via a GP’s surgery and/or hospital pharmacy. This is in accordance with the Falsified Medicines Directive – which requires that we can only accept medicines that come directly from a Pharmaceutical Manufacturer and/or Pharmaceutical Wholesaler who has a Wholesale Dealers Licence (WDL) from the MHRA.


In the circumstances, our recommendation would be that any unused medicines are returned to a local pharmacy for disposal.

*We are also not aware of any other organisations in the UK who would be able to accept these (legally)

Yes, we have also had the issue with returning physical aids. The hospital did accept the crutches, but we bought privately a kneeling scooter. This was a life saver for us as without it DH couldn't make a drink or sandwich for himself and carry it. The hospital don't provide these and we wanted to donate it but could not.

once medication has been in another household it is 'secondhand' just as any item you may buy.....pharmacies will dispose of it. They cannot use it again!

I had some minor surgery on my face which I had to clean and dress myself every day. Included amongst all the lotions and dressings, I was given 27 pairs of surgical scissors, individually wrapped. The nurse went along the store room shelves like "Supermarket Sweep" giving me loads too much of everything.

As the scissors weren't drugs or dressings, I took them back - still sealed in their packets - at the end of my treatment but the hospital wouldn't accept them. I ended up handing them out to friends and family for use with crafting.

The waste in the NHS is horrendous.

I do think that Bluebelle makes the relevant point about all of this. Which of us would be willing to be the recipients of any such items which had been stored goodness knows where and how.

It is sad that there is so much waste, but surely each person can do their own little bit, particularly those of us on on-going medications and only put in repeat prescriptions for items when required.

A few years ago, I, very suddenly, became allergic to the ostomy appliances I used, and the change of these meant I was left with approximately four to six weeks supply of these which I could no longer use. Obviously, all in sealed boxes. I was most reluctant to throw them away and did, eventually, find a charity that shipped such items out to countries where there were severe shortages of such items.

But medications, I think the only really safe way is a to dispose of them. For those of us who do not have to pay for our prescriptions, surely we should only be given four weeks at the time, but I can understand those who have to pay large amounts try to get three or more months supply at the time.

When my OH died I took 2 black bags of meds to the surgery be disposed of. He had Parkinsons and his meds were forever being changed because of side effects.

I can understand why they do this, even if it is a dreadful waste - I guess I would not want meds that might potentially have been tampered with.

Long term meds used to be dispensed in 3 month batches, but this was changed to one month because of the wastage. It was a jolly sight more convenient to only have to go to the surgery every 3 months - rural dispensing practice and a long drive.

I have just thrown away 200 bottles of milk delivered for my daughter in error, no idea until I opened the box. Appalling to think of starving children!