1. What is an opioid?
Opioids are a class of drugs for the treatment of moderate to severe pain that are available legally by prescription, including oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, morphine, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and many others. Opioids also include the illegal drug heroin. These drugs are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the body and brain to relieve acute and chronic pain. In addition to pain relief, opioids result in euphoric effects that promote addiction. Opioid overdoses can result in death by actions in the brain to shut down the body's respiratory system.
2. Will DisposeRX work on all medications/drugs?
DisposeRx works on all medications and all forms of drugs, to include pills, tablets, capsules, and liquids. A primary target of DisposeRx is to get rid of leftover opioids and drugs that are abusable (scheduled), but secondary targets for DisposeRx treatment include antibiotics, chemotherapies, stimulants, antidepressants and many others.
3. Why should I get rid of my leftover medication?
Drugs left over in the medicine cabinet are a primary cause of addiction and death and a leading reason for visits to emergency rooms. Seventy percent of opioid addictions begin with painkillers left in medicine cabinets after surgeries or for treating cancer pain. These addictions to prescription opioids become too expensive and difficult to manage, resulting in the use of heroin to manage addictions. Over 65,000 people in the US died in 2016 from drug overdoses, more than during the Vietnam war and more than all traffic accidents. Leftover medications destroy lives and kill people.
4. How does DisposeRx work when added to my medication?
Our non-toxic, cross-linking polymers that, when added to the prescription vial with water and shaken, permanently sequester unused, unwanted and/or expired Rx medications in a safe, viscous biodegradable gel that can simply be discarded in the household waste. Once treated, drugs cannot be extracted for abuse or pollute landfills since the sequestered drugs and the gel matrix rapidly biodegrade.
5. What happens if I don't add enough water or I add too much?
For a standard amber vial in which most medicines are dispensed by the pharmacist, we recommend adding enough water to fill the vial and pills about two-thirds full. This is sufficient to dissolve pills, capsules, tablets, etc. when one packet of DisposeRx (2g) is added and shaken for about 30 seconds. If too little water is added, the gel becomes solid more quickly, and if more water is added (e.g. over 2/3 full), the gel takes longer to solidify. DisposeRx works well in either circumstance.
6. Is DisposeRx toxic? What happens if I eat DisposeRx gel after I have used it with my medication?
DisposeRx is not toxic and is made of components described by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) or "non-toxic", and the ingredients are often used in foods. Either as a powder before use, or a gel after mixed with water, studies have shown that DisposeRx is inert and will safely pass through the digestive system. These studies have further shown that drugs treated with DisposeRx are both physically and chemically sequestered and cannot be extracted for abuse or pollute landfills and water supplies. If the drug/DisposeRx gel containing drugs is eaten, they will safely pass through the body without releasing their contents.
7. Can I use this for my pet's leftover medication?
DisposeRx is suitable for both human and veterinary use, and will completely sequester leftover medications used for large or small animals in a viscous gel from which they cannot be extracted.
8. What if I have additional unused medication at home and need more packs. Where do I get them?
DisposeRx is working with major pharmacy chains, drug manufacturers, hospitals, hospices and pharmacies to make our product available to customers at the time of drug dispensing at the pharmacy. Additional packets can be taken home for disposing of drugs that remain in medicine cabinets.
9. Why can't I just flush my medication as is recommended by some?
The FDA recommends flushing leftover drugs, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recommends driving to drugstores or law enforcement facilities to return drugs and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is strongly against polluting landfills and water supplies by flushing drugs or throwing them into the trash without treatment. Surprisingly, none of these agencies has regulatory control of drug disposal. Pollution of the water supplies from flushed drugs or those that leach from landfills disrupts ecosystems (e.g. fish) and ultimately people. Clearly this is not a viable way to get rid of leftover drugs.
10. Are there any drugs for which I cannot use DisposeRx?
DisposeRx safely and permanently sequesters all drugs, both physically and chemically, so they cannot be diverted for abuse or pollute. Drugs include opioids, stimulants, antidepressants, antibiotics, muscle relaxants, chemotherapies and others, and they may be in any form: tablets, capsules, pills, or liquids.
11. Can drugs be taken out of DisposeRx gel and abused?
Once drugs are sequestered in DisposeRx, studies have shown that they cannot be extracted for abuse using solvents commonly available to "at home" scientists. If the purpose of the home abuser is to extract a useable amount of drugs from DisposeRx gels, this is not possible.
12. Is using DisposeRx safer than incineration?
Incineration is one method of destroying drugs, but DEA regulations for bringing drugs to incinerators has required accompaniment by two law enforcement agents. These restrictions have been modified recently, but incineration is known to pollute air and water, and drugs are diverted for abuse in the process. DisposeRx-treated drugs are safer, less likely to be diverted and do not pollute landfills or water supplies.
13. If I don't use DisposeRx immediately, will it expire?
No, DisposeRx is packaged to prevent degradation over time.
14. How is DisposeRx superior to other disposal products on the market?
The FDA says flush drugs, the DEA says take them back to pharmacies or the police, and the EPA says don't even think about flushing drugs. The FDA also recommends the use of coffee grounds or mixing with kitty litter. Neither of these approaches sequester drugs nor prevent their abuse and pollution. Other approaches include the use of charcoal to adsorb drugs when mixed with water, however compared to DisposeRx, these products are not permanent, require time to be partially effective and are expensive.
15. Where can I purchase DisposeRx?
DisposeRx is provided without charge by pharmacies with prescriptions. If additional DisposeRx is required for drugs already in home medicine cabinets, additional packets of DisposeRx can be obtained at your pharmacy.
16. How do I reach DisposeRx to learn more about proper drug disposal?
DisposeRx can be reached by phone at
844-456-1600
or you can email us at
Info@DisposeRx.com. Visit our website
http://disposerx.com
for additional information. We can also be reached by mail at DisposeRx, Inc., 503 Carthage Street, Suite 202, Sanford, NC 27330.
