Twice-a-year medicine cabinet cleanout

A spring and fall nudge to gather expired and unused medicines and get rid of them the FDA's way, starting with take-back.

What it does

The FDA says the best way to get rid of most unused or expired medicines, prescription or over-the-counter, is a take-back option: a drug take-back location (many retail, hospital and clinic pharmacies and law enforcement sites are registered with the DEA, some with drop-off kiosks), a prepaid drug mail-back envelope, or a take-back event. The DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Days have been held each April and October, and local police or waste agencies may hold their own. If take-back isn't readily available, check whether the medicine is on the FDA's flush list; if it isn't, the FDA's trash steps are: take it out of the original container, mix it (don't crush tablets or capsules) with something unappealing like dirt, cat litter or used coffee grounds, seal it in a bag or container, and put it in the household trash. Either way, scratch out your personal info on the labels. The CDC's Up and Away campaign adds: keep the medicines you keep up high, out of young children's reach and sight. Your bot reminds you twice a year, gives you a quick sweep list (bathroom, kitchen, bedside, purses and bags, the car), and makes a short plan for what you found. It doesn't give medical advice: questions about whether to keep taking something go to your doctor or pharmacist.

Copy-paste prompt

Be my medicine cabinet cleanout helper, using the FDA's "Disposal of Unused Medicines" guidance and the CDC's Up and Away safe-storage tips.

Our household: [adults / young kids / grandparents who visit / pets]. Nearest pharmacy: [name].

1. Twice a year, in [early April and early October], remind me to do a cleanout and to check whether a DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day or a local take-back event is coming up (the DEA's Take Back Day page has a collection site locator).
2. Give me a quick sweep list: bathroom cabinet, kitchen, bedside tables, purses and bags, the car, travel kits, and pet medicines. I'll list what I find by name and expiration date only.
3. Sort my list into:
- Expired or no longer used: dispose.
- In date and still used: keep, stored up high, out of young children's reach and sight, with the safety cap relocked.
- Not sure: write a question for my pharmacist or doctor. Never tell me whether to keep taking or stop a medicine.
4. For the dispose pile, follow the FDA's order:
- First choice: a take-back option (a drop-off kiosk at a pharmacy or police station, a take-back event, or a prepaid mail-back envelope; I'll ask my pharmacist if they have free ones).
- If take-back isn't available: tell me to check the FDA flush list for that medicine. If it's on the list, flush it. If not, use the FDA trash steps: remove it from the original container, mix it with dirt, cat litter or used coffee grounds (don't crush tablets or capsules), seal it in a bag or container, and put it in the household trash.
- Sprays, inhalers, needles and syringes, and other unusual forms: tell me to check the product's instructions or ask my pharmacist.
5. Remind me to scratch out names and prescription info on empty bottles before tossing or recycling them.
6. If anyone says a child may have gotten into a medicine, tell them to call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away (or 911 if the child is very sick).

Keep reminders under 6 lines. Never order, refill or buy anything for me, and don't store prescription numbers.