Unable to return/reuse prescription medicines

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!

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 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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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).

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

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?

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.

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

It is a safety matter sadly.

I understand why they do not take it back

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.

Absolutely. We used to have a friend (no longer with us) who used to stockpile a mass of free prescription items. More than once I counted over 60 items - only maybe 4 or 5 preparations but multiples of each - on his bathroom shelves.

And more than once, another visiting friend, an ex nurse, would check the dates and throw the vast majority away. When he eventually died, there were so many items to get rid of, including e.g. big packs of prescription paracetamol, which you can buy for pennies anywhere.

What irked me especially was that although he had plenty of money* he was unbelievably tight, so if he’d had to pay even £2 or £3 per item he’d never have stockpiled so many that he didn’t need.

*He left two houses paid for and well over £1m in cash, which I do know because dh was an executor.

I have to order repeat prescriptions for my husband monthly- our old GP’s allowed 3-4 months worth.
Although a bit of a pain to remember it does mean less waste and if he has too much of anything I don’t order it for a month.
That said it does take a bit of organising (he has 10 different medications taken at different times of day) and I can easily understand if there is no one to keep close track of it how it can get out of hand!

Yes, we had to dispose of medication given to my daughter when she broke her leg. I had to take it to the one pharmacy in town that accepted such things, and was made to feel rather inadequate and dirty by the others I tried first, including our own drs surgery.
The crutches supplied by the hospital were refused by them as they 'couldn't clean' them, but the Red Cross were pleased to have them.
It was all very odd, as if I was trying to do a deal on the street corner rather than return things to the people who had given them out!

Espee - same with my DH. Phials and phials of morphine, still boxed to dispose of and meds being delivered to the door only a few hours before he died. I ended up with a sackful of stuff to be destroyed - must’ve been worth a fortune. I wish I’d known I could have donated it, but it was last March in lockdown.

Part of the problem you had was that the medications had a needle or sharps. When my daughter died I had boxes of pre filled syringes and also loads of sealed boxes of small sharp device for finger pricking. In all it was two carrier bags full. I was told I had to unseal the boxes and put all the sharpes into her yellow sharpes box, which I simply refused to do The surgery was willing to take them and I had to take them down and leave them in a special place, which I did. Different areas have different ways for collection, here in my home town it’s the council who collects the sharps.

H1954

OH and myself are both on quite a few meds and inhalers but we don't always need every item each month, when he collects the repeat prescriptions he opens the bags before leaving the pharmacy and hands back the items we don't need at that time. The pharmacists accepts these, removes the labels and they go back into stock. It's simple to do, just takes a bit of foresight.

A bit of foresight would be to not order what you don’t need.

OH and myself are both on quite a few meds and inhalers but we don't always need every item each month, when he collects the repeat prescriptions he opens the bags before leaving the pharmacy and hands back the items we don't need at that time. The pharmacists accepts these, removes the labels and they go back into stock. It's simple to do, just takes a bit of foresight.

Calendargirl
Your last sentence, how true ? It’s tax payers money, isn’t it?
It will just keep coming.
I have a friend who was a trauma nurse at Southend hospital. He fought for years trying to save money but nobody wanted to know.
Nothing will change ?

It has always been so
GrandmaTK you never have been able to return medication even in a sealed box they can’t know where they have been kept or whether the temperature has been correct or if they have been tampered with Once they have left the pharmacy they cannot be taken back It is a terrible dilemma though

I totally agree about the waste but the alternative is to give them out in much smaller quantities then I suppose people would be complaining they have to keep getting a few at a time

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 ?

Definitely risky, but she couldn’t have afforded it otherwise. Due to the postcode lottery she was only able to have one round of IVF, most areas it is 3, and they couldn’t quite afford ivf and the drugs even with a loan so had to take some creative steps to achieve their goal.

I’m not sure why my friend, her mother didn’t help out, they certainly could afford it. I wouldn’t have let my child take that risk.