GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- National Prescription Drug Take Back Day comes up Saturday.
You will be able to safely dispose of unwanted or unused prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at several locations in West Michigan. Some of those include Corewell Health Care Center on 68th Street in Cutlerville (Gaines Township) ... Priority Health on Leonard Street northeast ... the Kent County Health Department on Fuller Avenue ... Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital ...and Corewell Health Greenville Hospital Family Medicine.
Dr. Colleen Lane is an addiction medicine specialist with Corewell Health. She said on West Michigan's Morning News that a lot of people think it is safe to take someone else's prescription drugs.
"Because it's a medicine that comes from a doctor, that's coming from a pharmacy. But these are really powerful prescriptions. And if it's not written for you - it's not coming from your doctor - it can be really dangerous," Lane said.
Children, for example, may get into the medicine cabinet.
But outdated medications can be a problem, as well, because they are not as effective after their expiration date.
"We really want you to talk to your doctor, if you have something you need a medication for, rather than kind of looking to see what you have left over laying around at home," Lane said.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day occurs biannually: once in the spring and once in the fall. The free and anonymous public service is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration.
"We partner with law enforcement along with medical providers like ourselves at Corewell. And you can bring human medicine as well as, if you have (medications for) pets at home, you can bring it to us and drop it off. We'll dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way, and in an anonymous way. So, you don't have to worry about your personal information being on those bottles. We'll make sure it's all disposed of anonymously," Dr. Lane said.
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