The Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Properly

Pilot Project supported in part by 3Ts funding

The Disposal of Unwanted Medicines Properly project is more than a research project but a practical initiative which entailed the collection and safe disposal and destruction of unused medicines.  DUMP seeks to reduce the number of deaths through overdose & accidental poisoning, with real benefits in terms of suicide prevention, child accident prevention, environmental protection as well as the collection of valuable data on prescription & over-prescription patterns.

DUMP aims to:

•     Reduce access to means of overdose;
•     Reduce Accidental poisoning of children;
•     Help Prevent the unused medicines entering into the environment.

10,000 Para suicide cases attended at A&E departments in Ireland in 2001, with medication overdose the method of choice for the majority of both men (64.3%) and women (83.1%).

Accidental poisoning in young children accounts for at least 3,000 attendances at A&E with 10% of accidental deaths in childhood due to poisoning, placing it second only to road traffic accidents. Over half of childhood poisoning queries to the National Poisons Information Centre related to poisoning with medication.

The disposal of unused medicines presents an additional problem. There is a widespread public belief that the correct method of disposal is to flush unwanted medicines into the waste stream but this brings with it huge environmental implications and this project will fund the correct disposal of such medicines.

3ts funding supported the analysis of data in light of national poisoning and suicide / para suicide statistics and examined the correlation between drugs employed in suicide / para suicide and drugs unused / hoarded. The project also analysed the correlation between medications prescribed and unused, trends in prescription practice and the cost of unwanted medicines to the Dept of Health.

A pilot project was initially held in the South Western Area Health Board and in Phase 2 alone, 5 collections from 162 Pharmacies yielded 7.26 tonnes of unwanted medicines. A similar scheme was launched in the Midlands region in early 2006.

In an era of Government cost-cutting and escalation of deaths by suicide, it seems unbelievable that Government does not realise the potential of this simple initiative.  The findings of the research make a compelling case for a national rollout of the DUMP Programme on a variety of levels.  It could help saves lives lost to suicide and accidental poisonings;  help the environment by removing unwanted medicines from homes which would otherwise find their way into the ecosystem through careless disposal and ultimately, the initiative could save individuals and the State on costs related to over-prescription and supply of unwanted or unused medicines.

The National Office for Suicide Prevention is currently preparing a report into the issue of access to means, within which DUMP is  being reviewed.  3Ts believe that this project should be available countrywide.

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