DTZNuff
Board Addict
Reged: 11/16/02
Posts: 312
Loc: B.F.E.
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How do pharmacists dispose of expired meds? Do they just throw them out in the dumpster?
Just curious???
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 Serenity Now, Insanity Later!
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JethroBodine
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/20/03
Posts: 293
Loc: Ozark Mountains
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Ever hear of "employee health benefits"?
Seriously, I dive dumpsters frequently for boxes and packing material. I've checked the pharmacy a few times and haven't even seen an empty bottle. All these posts (there's another thread somewhere) have made me consider the consequences, and I think I'll leave the pharmacy dumpsters alone from now on. Heck, they hide the pseudofed behind the counter now, I doubt they are tossing oxy's out the back door. There are probably a few unsuspecting small town codgers out there who aren't too careful, though.
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??????????????????????????????
There's somethin' happenin' here.
What it is aint exactly clear.
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bhamdave
Threadhead
Reged: 01/11/02
Posts: 989
Loc: U.S.A.
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Several years ago when I worked at the hospital, the pharmacy did dispose of their outdated meds.
They "incinerated" them.
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AIDS
It's not YOUR problem (I hope that)
It's not MY problem (I know that)
But it is still OUR problem and WE know that!
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DTZNuff
Board Addict
Reged: 11/16/02
Posts: 312
Loc: B.F.E.
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That stinks.....I have found alot of empty bottles but thats all!
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Serenity Now, Insanity Later!
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rblake
Stranger
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 20
Loc: USA
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I worked as a pharmacy technician for several years during the late '90s.
Any and all C-II meds that were not dispensed through proper legal procedures before their expiration date were required to be sent--using state mandated procedures--to a designated state address for accounting and disposal.
I do not recall how out-of-date C-III, C-IV, or C-V medications were managed.
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"... A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring...."
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johnjacobs
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/05/02
Posts: 201
Loc: SE USA
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The bottom line is... I work at a major drug chain as a store manager and personally do the process. We do not ever throw ANY drug in the dumpster (except for maybe a swallow of cough medicine). All drugs are sent back to the distribution center, then either incinerated, or forwarded to the wholesaler for store credit, which I am pretty sure they dispose of them the same way. It is very strict, even all RX trash bags have to be saved and returned to the DC for "proper disposal" if were ever caught throwing RX trash out in the dumpster, we would be fired, and possibly fined if any patients info was ever found.
Hope that answers all. We are very strict on this because of all the "Dumpster Divers" we get...
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Today is the Tommorrow you worried about Yesterday & Tommorrow is the day your DREADING Today! Good Luck to us all!
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ML63
Member
Reged: 02/08/03
Posts: 196
Loc: Upstate New York
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My question would be "Are there really any C-II or C-III meds that sit so long that they must be tossed out?" After reading through the boards the past few months it just seems unlikely, given the number of patients needing them, that these meds have any chance of ever reaching the one year expiration date. Personally, it always makes me laugh a little when I receive a new script and I see that "discard after..." instruction.
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rblake
Stranger
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 20
Loc: USA
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Again, the following information relates to procedures I observed about seven years ago.
Our procedures followed pretty close to what johnjacobs related in his post. Expired OTC items and many Rx items were returned to the wholesaler for some kind of credit or replacement. I think that procedure applied to outdated C-III, C-IV, and C-V medications as well, but I am unsure on that point. At NO time were expired items discarded with the trash. All pharmacy trash was disposed of in bags that were sealed for special pick up. However, I never heard of them being sent to DC.
When I was a new employee, the pharmacist mentioned a sad story. A number of years earlier he had discovered--at closing time--a ten or eleven year old boy who was inside and going through one of the building's dumpsters. A few doctor's and dentist's offices were located in this building, and they also used these dumpsters. The boy was frightened and explained that he was going to be paid by "some big guy" whom he'd never before met to bring him discarded pills, vials, and syringes. The "big guy" had described what these items looked like. He was waiting down the block, and he took off as soon as he saw that the boy had been discovered.
Yes, ML63, on infrequent occasions some nondispensed C-II medications became outdated. The pharmacist (owner of the store only) was required to complete a special DEA form specifying and accounting for every tablet or unit. Then these items were packaged and sent by courier to some location designated by the state for destruction. I don't know if they were burned, but that sounds very reasonable.
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"... A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring...."
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wildbill
Member
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 124
Loc: USA
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Where I come from in NYC not everyone is so honest.
All you old timer vikes fans out there - remember the version that looked like a giant aspirin with the marking KPI 235? Well, after that was outmoded and stopped being made, it floated around the streets for quite some time, no doubt due to street dealers' collusion with dishonest pharmacists. Also Placidyl also floated around a bit (at the inflated price of $11 a pill) after it was discontinued.
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chuckles
Stranger
Reged: 07/24/03
Posts: 5
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Well if you work in a hosp in pacu (Recovery) I can tell you the fentyl does not go down the sink it goes into the sharps containers where they can be "fished" out (I have done this before) they also dispose of MSO4 (morphine) and other controlled drugs this way but recovery is unique in that respect all other departments squirt um down the sink it just breaks my heart to see them waste these perfectly good drugs. On one good night I ended up with about 50cc's of sublimaze I was in heaven.I have often thought about drug store dumpsters but working in a hosp with access to recovery this is just so much eaiser.My only advice is if the syringe looks dirty don't even chance it most injections are given via IV in Recovery. They say AIDS is bad well let me tell you there is no cure for hepatitis.
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PrivateRealm
Threadhead
Reged: 03/18/03
Posts: 927
Loc: usa
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Quote:
Well if you work in a hosp in pacu (Recovery) I can tell you the fentyl does not go down the sink it goes into the sharps containers where they can be "fished" out (I have done this before) they also dispose of MSO4 (morphine) and other controlled drugs this way but recovery is unique in that respect all other departments squirt um down the sink it just breaks my heart to see them waste these perfectly good drugs. On one good night I ended up with about 50cc's of sublimaze I was in heaven.I have often thought about drug store dumpsters but working in a hosp with access to recovery this is just so much eaiser.My only advice is if the syringe looks dirty don't even chance it most injections are given via IV in Recovery. They say AIDS is bad well let me tell you there is no cure for hepatitis.
What are you talking about?? Are you seriously reusing paople's leftover IV medications at your work?
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KeriAnne~~~
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away."
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bhamdave
Threadhead
Reged: 01/11/02
Posts: 989
Loc: U.S.A.
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Chuckles you are playing a "DANGEROUS" game.
When anything goes into that sharps container it is considered contaminated. Don't consider anything clean enough to use.
The chances of you getting caught are very high.
The last hospital I worked in (I worked in surgery) we had cameras in all 20 O.R's and 5 cameras in the Recovery room.
You need to consider the consequences of what you are doing.
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AIDS
It's not YOUR problem (I hope that)
It's not MY problem (I know that)
But it is still OUR problem and WE know that!
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PrivateRealm
Threadhead
Reged: 03/18/03
Posts: 927
Loc: usa
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Dave, I agrree, Dangerous is right. I am in Nursing school myself, and the ramificatins of that behavior are serious, not to mention potentialy life threatning. Please, no one get any ideas from that post.
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KeriAnne~~~
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away."
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Tuttle
Newbie
Reged: 01/06/03
Posts: 33
Loc: Oregon, USA
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OMG is this person serious? Fishing out used IV meds from a sharps, looking at it to "see" if it looks dirty??? I have about heard it all now! You can't SEE hepatitis or AIDS or anything else for that matter.
You should be ashamed of your self, that is just crossing the line and it is not IF you get caught, it is WHEN you get caught!
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Tuttle
I'm not really a Dr, I just play one on DB.
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guitardude
Old Hand
Reged: 09/11/02
Posts: 421
Loc: midwest
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This all reminds me of when my ex (RN) was working a hospital where they fired a girl for installing a port somewhere on her body so she could inject part of the patients drugs in herself.......all day long!
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"once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right."
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prettyday
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/09/03
Posts: 1134
Loc: Coastal Sage Scrub
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Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Noooo! A port? Is that like a shunt? HOW does someone cover that with make up? I knew this thread would be cringe worthy...grrrr I knew it from that first gif.
Must go huddle in other room now and think of happy things... 
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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
- Mahatma Gandhi
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tem33
Enthusiast
Reged: 01/08/03
Posts: 234
Loc: Southern USA
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A port is most commonly called a hep-lock (heparin-lock), which is used to administer IV medications.
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edarrine
Stranger
Reged: 01/28/03
Posts: 24
Loc: Canada
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Well here in Canada there are no camaras in the OR or recovery. Yikes! Talk about invasion of privacy. Unless the medication is recoverable from a vial or other container then I would never touch it.
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snickers
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/06/03
Posts: 250
Loc: SouthEast, USA
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By their Mouth's 3 time's per day or as Needed for Pain! 
Just messing around.
Snickers
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jaybird
Newbie
Reged: 06/20/02
Posts: 43
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I worked in a hospital pharmacy for 5years. All controlled drugs were held in lock up until a fed DEA agent would come to the hospital and watch as a pharmasist would then place them in a bucket of water then flushed down the toilet.A few times the DEA person would call and say to flush them because he was too busy. The hospital that I worked had almost zero theft so the trusted the employies... Very few expired drugs ever got away!
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hottiefromky
Member
Reged: 05/29/03
Posts: 149
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I'm a new RN grad, and you wont believe the horror stories I've heard in nursing school about RN's that falsify med records saying they gave their patients the drugs and then they would either take them while working or save them for home. If the doctor writes a script for 1-2 prn oxys and then the patient doesnt want them, you are supposed to "waste" these meds down the drain or in a disposal. However, its easy enough to stick one or both of them in your pocket and say that you did give them to the patient. Youre supposed to get another RN to sign off with you anytime you 'waste' a narcotic, but, there are still ways around this apparently. RN's are one of the leading professions in this country that are addicts. It is so easy to falsify records to get narcs in hospitals. Now, I've never heard of someone fishing through a sharps container, thats a new one for me. But, I have heard of RNs with IV hep locks in their thighs/stomachs and just shoot up half the morphine instead of giving it to the patients. Or give their patients half the dose and then give themselves the other half. There are alot of RNs that loose their license this way. It is getting tougher to do this now with all the new computer systems, etc, however, it still comes down to the RNs word against a groggy, doped up patient whether he got his pain meds or not. I havent started working in a hospital yet, but our local hospital just busted 2 RNs for stealing narc's this way. Apparently they were taking out 2 pills as the order was written by the MD, then only giving the patient one and pocketing the other. After the MD noticed the patient not getting pain relief as he should be getting from 2 pills, they started questioning and watching her apparently. Anyway, yes, nursing is a leading profession for drug seekers/addicts. In my opinion, hydro schedule III is bad enough to get addicted too, but these nurses have access to Schedule 1 and 2 drugs so you can imagine how quickly they can be addicted. Plus not only are they compromising themselves, careers, etc, but they are leaving these poor patients in pain for hours b/c they document the drug was given and then the MD will not give anymore to the patient for several hours. Its sad and scary some of the stories Ive heard in this topic.
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wat853son
Member
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 150
Loc: USA
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As a healthcare professional . . . have observed the "sharps" divers pilfering through the OSHA mandated safety containers hoping to find dilaudid that was not properly "wasted". Sad. But a reality that in most cases is the healthcare employee vs. Joe Public. Sad indeed.
The sharps containers should be secure w/minimal access.
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cypress434
Old Hand
Reged: 04/14/02
Posts: 422
Loc: The Deep Southern US
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I'm wondering how in the heck someone "fishing" in the sharps container could tell what drug is in a syringe...and just the mere thought of that makes me cringe!!! YUCK! That's desperation and serious addiction to resort to that!
Stopping my reading for a while now after *this* thread...
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Cypress434
Character is what you do when no one is watching.
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buey
Old Hand
Reged: 01/15/03
Posts: 453
Loc: USA
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Quote:
Well if you work in a hosp in pacu (Recovery) I can tell you the fentyl does not go down the sink it goes into the sharps containers where they can be "fished" out (I have done this before) they also dispose of MSO4 (morphine) and other controlled drugs this way but recovery is unique in that respect all other departments squirt um down the sink it just breaks my heart to see them waste these perfectly good drugs. On one good night I ended up with about 50cc's of sublimaze I was in heaven.I have often thought about drug store dumpsters but working in a hosp with access to recovery this is just so much eaiser.My only advice is if the syringe looks dirty don't even chance it most injections are given via IV in Recovery. They say AIDS is bad well let me tell you there is no cure for hepatitis.
I can't believe you actually do this. You need serious help. I'm not saying this to be a jerk either. I feel sorry for you that you feel you have to resort to this behavior. For your own good, I hope you get caught so you can get the help you need. You are an addict. Anyone who would do such a thing is an addict. You need help. Please consider getting some before you wind up dead.
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