How to Dispose of Unused Medicine | Browns Pharmacy Guide

This article has been written and medically approved by Pharmacist Conor McSorley GPhC Reg No. 2223070

Disposing of any medication that you are no longer using is important. Keeping a basic kit of purchased medicines is recommended but you should avoid having an excess of medication or leftover prescription medication which can potentially be dangerous.

Disposal of medication should occur when:

• It is out of date
• The protective packaging is damaged
• They are left over from a condition you are no longer suffering from

To ensure your basic kit of medicines is up to date and only contains the necessary in date medicines, it is important to have a clear out of your medicine cabinet at least every 6 months.

Disposal at a pharmacy

When you are disposing of any medicine in the UK, the best place to get rid of it is to either return the medication to the pharmacy you got the medication from, or alternatively find the nearest pharmacy to you and take it straight to them. Remember, you don’t need to return the medicine to the same pharmacy that you got it from.

Pharmacies are the safest way to dispose of unused medicine and follow UK legislation for the disposal of medication.

All information is correct at the time of writing.