WellStar Health System wants to help you rid your home of dangerous medications. Why? In the wrong hands, expired or unneeded prescriptions can cause serious illness or death.

Why is it important to remove old medications from the home?
Old prescriptions are often an easy source for abuse and can cause confusion for people taking a large number of medications. For children under four, the medicines commonly ingested include ibuprofen and multivitamins, plus medications for diaper rash and diaper care. For teens, abuse is often with prescription medications that treat mental health conditions or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Where do I bring my old prescriptions and when?
During this one-day event in October, WellStar invites East Cobbers to drop off prescriptions at their Medication Take Back Day. Just drop off at WellStar East Cobb Health Park, 3747 Roswell Road, Marietta/East Cobb on October 27 any time between 10am-2pm.

Why Medication Take Back Day vs. throwing medicine away at home?
Even disposing of old medications can be dangerous. Typical disposal in the home can lead to accidental poisoning, and flushed medications end up polluting community water. Medication Take Back Day protects our children, families and environment.

Can I drop off medications in my cabinet that don’t have my name on them?
No questions will be asked, and no forms or ID will be required to drop off any medications. Cobb County Police will be on site to collect medicine as current federal regulations allow only law enforcement to collect controlled substances.

How will the medications be disposed of once they are dropped off?
The waste medicines are sent to a disposal facility, where they will be destroyed by high temperature incineration. Additional information on this event can be found by calling 770-793-7373.

This article originally appeared in the October issue of the EAST COBBER magazine, on page 52. Click here to view the digital edition.