Antibiotic resistance is a leading health concern in almost all countries of the world. A new report suggests that this could be reduced by disposing of unused or leftover medicines mainly opioids and antibiotics. Enforcing all pharmacies to give proper disposal guidelines to all customers, it is possible to protect children from drug poisoning and emergency visits to the hospitals. FDA has given instructions to all the pharmacies that can help patients in disposing of the medicines that are not used in the long term.
The researchers of UC San Francisco took a telephone survey in which they found that the instructions and guidelines were given by US Food and Drug Administrations were not even followed by half of the pharmacies of California.
It is recommended by the FDA to the pharmacies to take back the medicines from the customers that are not used by them. Survey shows that only 10% pharmacies followed those recommendations while all other pharmacies are not following. That’s why many patients haven’t the proper knowledge to dispose of unused medicines.
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The method that the researchers took to conduct survey, they posed themselves the parents of those children who were given a surgery recently and they asked nearly from nine hundred pharmacies in California that what should they do with the two medicines which are not consumed during or after the surgery that are liquid Hycet (hydrocodone-acetaminophen) and Bactrim (sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim).
Medicines should not keep in the medicines cabinets because wrong antibiotics can be selected, and opioids can be used for bad purposes. FDA recommends disposing of the medicines properly either by mixing the medicines with any substance like the coffee ground and disposing that mixture into the closed container so that no one could get in touch with that trash or protect from mixing with water.
To prevent people from intentional or accidental ingestions, the opioids should be flushed down or waisted in a toilet. This is the best or proper way to dispose of unused medicines. The survey shows that only fewer than half pharmacies gave the true guidelines and instructions related to the disposal of antibiotics and also for opioids.
The associate professor of urology and author at UCSF, Hillary Copp, gives clear instructions and points that are necessary to know for the disposal of medicines. These instructions given by Hillary Copp were published in Annals of Internal medicine.
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Hillary Copp finds that to improve the disposal practices we not only need to give instructions to pharmacies but also need to educate the patients that how they can prevent themselves from taking unused medications. The physicians are trying to educate the patients on how they can dispose of the medicines and prevent themselves from opioids when they are discharged from hospitals.
Hillary Copp defines that pharmacy is that place from where the patients can get help and guidelines to dispose of the medicines that are not consumed but not only a pharmacy is responsible to provide proper medication guidelines but the physicians and the doctors also. If the patients take proper measures given by the FDA to pharmacies, they can prevent themselves from many problems they can face for the easier of patients.