Throw away prescription drugs safely at an Inova “Take Back” dropoff box

At Your Disposal

Allowing consumers to safely dispose of unused drugs helps prevent medication misuse and accidents

“Prescription Take Back Boxes” are now installed at Inova Fair Oaks and Inova Loudoun Hospital

In another step to help curb the opioid epidemic in the community, Inova now has dropoff boxes for safe disposal of unused drugs at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and Inova Loudoun Hospital.

People can now bring all their unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications to these disposal boxes, which are available for depositing the unused medications any time of day.

Find a prescription drop-off box

Inova Fair Oaks Hospital: The disposal box is located outside the retail pharmacy on the first floor of the main hospital across from the gift shop.

Inova Loudoun Hospital: The disposal box is located at the south hospital entrance near the concierge desk.

Why dispose of unused prescription medications?

In addition to aid in preventing opioid addiction, it’s important to discard old prescriptions if they are no longer needed to prevent medication errors. And over-the-counter medications that have been in cabinets for a while pose a health hazard to toddlers and other family members. Moreover, the program helps keep unneeded medications out of the waterways.

How do I safely throw away old pills?

All the drugs being disposed of must be placed in a sealed container, such as the original bottle or zip-close bag. Multiple vials can be emptied into a zip-close bag for disposal; vials should be disposed of in the regular trash at home. Personal information should be removed or marked out with a black permanent marker.

YES: What can be taken back?

• Prescription and over-the-counter medications (solid pill, capsule or patch forms)

NO: What cannot be taken back?

• Lotions or liquids
• Intravenous solutions
• Injectables, syringes and needles (e.g., EpiPens)
  (These must be taken to a healthcare professional’s office or to a hospital for disposal.)
• Iodine-containing medications
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Compressed cylinders or aerosols (e.g., asthma inhalers)
• Thermometers
• Alcohol and illicit drugs (e.g., marijuana, heroin, LSD, etc.)

“We’ve had the need for this service a very long time,” says Cathleen Cowden, Regional Director of Pharmacy Services at Inova Fair Oaks, who first proposed the idea of the program to the administration. “Twice a year the Drug Enforcement Agency holds a take-back day, but we want to make it more readily accessible for patients.”

As of July 2018, Inova has collected and safely disposed of nearly 55 pounds of medicines.

Prescription opioid misuse and abuse has been a problem throughout the United States and locally. In 2016, of the more than 100 drug overdose deaths in Fairfax County, 80 were opioid-related. Besides the Take Back Program, the IFOH Emergency Department (ED) has created an Opioid Safety Initiative Committee, which is designed to scale back the use of opioid orders in the ED.