All posts by Chaim

Drug Take Back Event In Augusta, Georgia. 12/14/2018

December 13, 2018Drug Take BackChaim

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office will be taking unwanted or expired medication on Friday, December 14th. Deputies will be collecting medication from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Augusta at Doctors Hospital in Augusta. Deputies will be outside of the main entrance of the hospital. The drug take back event will be at:

Doctors Hospital
3651 Wheeler Rd, Augusta, GA 30909
From 8:30 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

You are invited to bring your unused, unwanted or expired medications to this event in order to dispose of them safely and prevent them from posing future hazards.

The Prescription Drug Take Back event helps keep old pills from being abused.

The DEA and Google both provide locators to find your nearest prescription drug take back locations.

Check out The DEA and Google pages below. They contain tools and more info on the ever growing efforts to help people properly dispose of their unused prescription drugs. This is certainly part of the bigger plan to help end the opioid crisis.

DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

Google’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

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Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

Drug Take Back Event In Oswego, NY. 12/13/2018

December 12, 2018Drug Take BackChaim

State Senator Patty Ritchie and Oswego Health are offering a community event where people can safely dispose of their unused and unwanted medications, including prescription and narcotic medicines.

The event will be held from 2pm – 4pm, Thursday, Decemebr 13th, in the lobby of Oswego Hospital at 110 W 6th St., Oswego NY 13126.

Law enforcement officials and Oswego Health pharmacy staff will be present to assist community members and to answer questions.

Oswego Hospital
110 w 6th St. 
Oswega, NY 13126
Thursday, 12/13/2018
From 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

You are invited to bring your unused, unwanted or expired medications to this event in order to dispose of them safely and prevent them from posing future hazards.

The Prescription Drug Take Back event helps keep old pills from being abused.

The DEA and Google both provide locators to find your nearest prescription drug take back locations.

DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

Google’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

Drug Take Back Event In Enterprise, Alabama. 12/06/2018

December 5, 2018Drug Take BackChaim

The Enterprise Police Department will be conducting a prescription drug take back event on Thursday Dec. 6, 2018, at Enterprise City Hall, for safe disposal of unused or expired prescription medications.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., area residents are encouraged to bring any unneeded prescription medication to the Enterprise Police Department in City Hall, where it will be bagged and collected for disposal by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

There will be a table will be set up inside the front doors of City Hall on Thursday, where officers will collect any unwanted or expired prescription drugs.

The drug take back event will be at:

Enterprise City Hall
501 S Main St. 
Enterprise, AL 36330
Thursday, 12/06/2018
From 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

You are invited to bring your unused, unwanted or expired medications to this event in order to dispose of them safely and prevent them from posing future hazards.

The Prescription Drug Take Back event helps keep old pills from being abused.

The DEA and Google both provide locators to find your nearest prescription drug take back locations.

DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

Google’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

Drug Take Back In Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Wednesday 12/05/2018

December 5, 2018Drug Take BackChaim

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office will accept your old, unused prescriptions in Lawrenceburg, Indiana on Wednesday, December 5th 2018.

The attorney general’s Mobile Operations Center will be at:

Ivy Tech Community College - Riverfront Campus
50 Walnut St
Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
From 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

You are invited to bring your unused, unwanted or expired medications to this event in order to dispose of them safely and prevent them from posing future hazards.

The Prescription Drug Take Back event helps keep old pills from being abused.

The DEA and Google both provide locators to find your nearest prescription drug take back locations.

DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

Google’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

Drug Recall: Valsartan

October 23, 2018Product Recallsdrug recall, valsartanChaim

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has twice expanded its recall of several drug products containing the active ingredient Valsartan from Major Pharmaceuticals, Solco Healthcare, and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., as well as valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide from Solco and Teva.

The reason for the recall is the presence of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).

NDMA was found in the batches that contained the valsartan ingredient manufactured by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals, Linhai, China.

NDMA is classified as a probable human carcinogen.

The presence of NDMA was unexpected, said the FDA, and is possibly related to changes in how the active substance was manufactured. According to the EPA, NDMA — which was formerly used in rocket fuel, among other things — can be an unintended byproduct of wastewater treatment plants that use chemical compounds called chloramines for disinfection.

Zhejiang Huahai has stopped distributing its valsartan API and the FDA is working with the affected companies to reduce or eliminate the valsartan API impurity from future products.

The FDA’s review is ongoing and has included investigating the levels of NDMA in the recalled products, assessing the possible effect on patients who have been taking them and what measures can be taken to reduce or eliminate the impurity from future batches produced by the company.

The FDA will continue to investigate this issue and provide additional information when it becomes available.

The agency encourages patients and health care professionals to report any adverse reaction to the FDA’s MedWatch program.

You can see a list of the recalled medications, as well as a list of products containing valsartan that have not been recalled, on the FDA’s website. Only products contaminated with NDMA are being recalled — not all valsartan tablets.

Not all valsartan products contain NDMA.

Valsartan is used for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) and for the treatment of heart failure. It is also indicated as a treatment for left ventricular failure and left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction. In combination with hydrochlorothiazide, it is used in the treatment of hypertension.

If you are taking valsartan, you should continue taking the medicine until you can determine if you need a replacement product. You can do this by checking the list of affected companies and batches on the FDA’s website.

The risk of stopping treatment can be more harmful to your health than taking the contaminated valsartan for just a bit longer, until you can get it replaced.

Contact your Doctor or Pharmacist. You may get a prescription for a different medication that treats the same indications, or a refill of valsartan medication from a batch that was not affected by the recall.

CBS News has a segment playing on the valsartan recall.

Customers and patients with Medical-related Questions, information about an Adverse Event or other questions about the Teva product’s being recalled should contact Teva’s Medical Information by phone at: 888-838-2872, option 3, option 4, then option 1.

Live calls are received Monday-Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM Eastern Time with Voicemail available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week or email druginfo@tevapharm.com.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to Teva directly at 888- 838-2872 or to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

- Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
- Regular Mail or Fax: Download form www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm

_______

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

Drug Take Back And Sharps Collection Day In Napa County

October 22, 2018Healthy Living, Household Medical Waste, Medical Waste Disposal, Prescription Drug & Medicine Disposal, Public SafetyChaim

Drug Take Back And Sharps Collection Day In Napa County – Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10am to 2pm, at numerous Napa County locations.

The Police Departments and Sherriff’s offices in Napa County, along with Kaiser Permanente and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will host unused medication and sharps (used syringes and needles) collection events on Saturday, October 27, 2018, from 10am – 2pm, at numerous locations around Napa County.

Residents in the area are encouraged to bring their unused or expired over-the-counter and prescription medications to one of six collection locations throughout Napa County. It is recommended that any personal information on medication containers be removed or blacked out before dropping off. Additionally, these one-day collection sites can legally accept federally-designated “controlled” substances that include many highly addictive prescription medications such as morphine and OxyContin, as well as illegal narcotics such as LSD and ecstasy.

Home generated medical sharps (needles, syringes, epinephrine auto-injectors, etc.) will be accepted for disposal at all of the October 27th sites as well. State law prohibits the disposal of home generated sharps in trash or recycling containers. Improper disposal of home generated sharps is a health and safety threat to children, home health care providers, trash & recycling workers, and pets through accidental needle stick injuries. Sharps that are not disposed of properly can also end up on beaches and riverbanks, waterways, parks and more. Ideally, sharps should only be transported in an approved container obtained from a physician or pharmacy. A tightly sealed, leak- and puncture-resistant container with a lid, such as a bleach bottle, coffee can, or other similar container, is an acceptable alternative for transportation of sharps to the event. These containers should be labeled as “sharps.”

These collection sites accept sharps and unused or expired over-the-counter and prescription medications, and “controlled” substances that include many highly addictive legal and illegal drugs.

“Many people don’t realize that flushing medications down the toilet or putting them down the drain can lead to water pollution and harmful effects on aquatic life,” said Stephanie Turnipseed, Pollution Prevention and Outreach Coordinator with the Napa Sanitation District. “Medication can pass right through the wastewater treatment process and enter our waterways, so the best thing to do is to bring your medicines to a take-back event or one of the year-round drop-off locations for safe disposal.”

In addition to the environmental impact of improperly disposed medications, prescription and over-the-counter drugs that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

This service is free and anonymous.

October 27th Medication And Sharps Collection Event Sites:

American Canyon Police Department

Address: 911 Donaldson Way E, American Canyon, CA 94503

Phone: (707) 551-0600

Napa County Sheriff’s Office

Address: 1535 Airport Blvd, Napa, CA 94558

Phone: (707) 253-4440

Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices – East Parking Lot

Address: 3285 Claremont Way, Napa, CA 94558

Phone: (707) 258-2500

Yountville Police Department

Address: 1950 Mulberry St, Yountville, CA 94599

Phone: (707) 944-9228

St. Helena Police Department

Address: 1480 Main St, St Helena, CA 94574

Phone: (707) 967-2850

Calistoga Police Department

Address: 1234 Washington St, Calistoga, CA 94515

Phone: (707) 942-2810

Can’t make the collection event on October 27th?

Those unable to take items to the event can dispose of unwanted pharmaceuticals (uncontrolled substances only) and home generated sharps year-round at the Napa-Vallejo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility located at 889A Devlin Road, next to the Transfer Station in American Canyon. The facility is open every Friday and Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

For “uncontrolled” substances and sharps, there are several local year-round opportunities for safe and legal disposal, which can be found online at www.naparecycling.com/medicine.

Mail back services are available for your home generated sharps. Additional year-round options for residential medical sharps can be found online at www.naparecycling.com/medical-sharps-disposal or call the Napa County Department of Public Works for more sharps disposal information at 707-253-4094.