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    Substance Use Prevention

    Prescription Drug Take-Back Program

    Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. Help keep your community and loved ones safe by discarding old, unwanted, or unused prescription medication. 

    Locate a drug take-back location

    Overview

    The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is focused on alleviating the health and safety concerns from the diversion and misuse of prescription drugs by helping our citizens properly dispose of unused prescription medications. Keeping unused opioids or other common drugs of misuse in a medicine cabinet is no longer safe or responsible.

    Handling medications

    • Lock up all your medications
    • Don't share your medications with anyone or take someone else’s medications
    • Safely dispose of unused or unwanted medications. When you pick up a prescription, ask your pharmacist for drug disposal pouches or find a drug take-back box.

    Disposing of medications

    Each take-back location has the right to determine what items they will accept in their box.

    DEA regulations ALLOW for the disposal of:

    • Over-the-counter medications
    • Prescription medications
    • Prescription patches
    • Prescription ointments
    • Vitamins
    • Pet medicines

    DEA regulations DO NOT ALLOW for the disposal of:

    • Hydrogen peroxide
    • Compressed cylinders or aerosols (e.g., asthma inhalers)
    • Iodine-containing medications
    • Thermometers
    • Alcohol & illicit drugs (i.e. marijuana, heroin, LSD, etc.)

    Preparing medications for disposal

    • All prescribed medications to be disposed of should be contained inside their original bottle or placed inside a small sealed container (i.e. plastic bottle) or zip-lock bag
    • Personal information should be removed or marked out with a permanent marker

    Find a drug take-back location

    Pennsylvania has nearly 900 prescription drug take-back locations. Locate one near you to discard of old, unwanted, or unused prescription medication.