# Prescription Medicine Question



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I have a precarious question, at least to me.

My friend fell, broke her arm, and is virtually unable to drive. I have been driving her to the grocery store, drug store, doctor appointments, etc. and helping her with many things at her house that she can no longer do with only one hand.

After we made a drugstore run to pick up her pain medication, a narcotic. she opened the bottle in my car and spilled some of the pills. She, like some, did not want to take the pills that fell to the floor. I picked them up and after thinking about it, realized I could keep these pills and put them in my first aid kit.

But, these are commonly sought and sold on the streets. I have taken very few prescription medications in my life and street drugs are not even on my list. 

My conundrum: I do not have a prescription for these. Should I put them in the garbage disposal and get rid of them, stash them in my first aid kit, return them to a drug store for them to dispose of? I am concerned about the legality of this situation, and yet the potential for pain meds in a grid down situation.

What would you do?


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

weedygarden said:


> I have a precarious question, at least to me.
> 
> My friend fell, broke her arm, and is virtually unable to drive. I have been driving her to the grocery store, drug store, doctor appointments, etc. and helping her with many things at her house that she can no longer do with only one hand.
> 
> ...


I would keep them...put them in a aspirin bottle (just don't forget what's in it!!!). Unless you try to sell the chances are no one will trouble you about them.

Do not put them in the sewer system-there are proper ways to dispose of drugs.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Flush them down the toilet to help medicate the fish!


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Sewer system:

Thank you. I have read about the challenges with too many meds going that way. I don't remember ever disposing of anything that way, but this is just an odd situation for me. I am concerned about the legality.

I will never try to sell these. That is not me, but in a tough situation, anything can be bartered. It would be a precarious prep to have for this very purpose.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

RevWC said:


> Flush them down the toilet to help medicate the fish!


Not likely, unless it was like the classic movie scene, cops knocking down the door which is not likely.

If I was to get rid of them, I would take them to some place doing a meds turn in for disposal. I have seen those once in a while. I think all drug stores take returns for disposal.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Stash them away somewhere an keep it hush hush. 

Yeah, bad thin ta get caught with em, chances be yall won't incounter the badge so I'd not worry much bout it. There only gonna be good fer bout so long anywho, just besure an date it er have some way a known how old they get.


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

Save them. As long as you keep them in stored as you would any other meds you should be good. I wouldn't advise taking them from the house in an unlabeled bottle. Every department has a dick without any common sense that could hem you up. If you do take them somewhere just put them into a drug box like the ones so many use to separate their daily medications.


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## NSAdataCollector (Dec 29, 2013)

What narc and what dosage is it? I.e. Percocet 5/325. Which is 5mg of oxycodone and 325mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol) if my memory serves me. Find out if you don't know and learn about it. Rx pain meds are Rx for a reason. They have side effects and some people have allergic reactions. Use drugs.com or an app like epocrates to learn about them.

Legally, you should flush it. End of story.

But if you insist on keeping it, keep it in an airtight (medicine) bottle and label it with the drug name and dosage so in 2 years when you need it you won't have to try to remember. And keep it somewhere safe I.e. inside your bug-out bag in the closet or on a shelf deep in your basement, not under your car seat.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

A total of 699 drugs (3802 brand and generic names) are known to interact with oxycodone, be very careful if you intent to take any of those pills or any none prescribe drugs period.
Hydrocodone.
(Do not use this medication if you are allergic to acetaminophen (Tylenol) or hydrocodone. Hydrocodone may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Hydrocodone and acetaminophen should never be given to another person, especially someone who has a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a secure place where others cannot get to it.)


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## havasu (Sep 4, 2011)

Flushing the prescription pills is never the correct thing to do. Throw the pills in a small zip lock sandwich size baggie, add a paper towel, and about 1/2 cup of water. This will allow the pills to dissolve, and end up in a land fill where it will not harm anyone else.


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## farright (Mar 25, 2010)

keep them label them and put away from children they come in handy when u need them.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I don't know about you folks here.
But if Gene gets a prescription for ANY type of pain relief(VA), we get it filled ....'pronto'!!
I am saving them in a shoe box.

They may be needed by others in a SHTF scenario even if we don't need them.

Throw them away?? Have you lost your mind??


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

Well if you take them now maybe you can bring back the 60's for a bit...


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

helicopter5472 said:


> Well if you take them now maybe you can bring back the 60's for a bit...


Helicopter, when you lived in Parkhill, did you know a former Colorado governor who lived on Montview, maybe Cherry cross street? I know the people who bought their house, after the big election. One of the sons had a drug use situation, which revealed some of his lost stash after they remodeled his bedroom.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

JayJay said:


> I don't know about you folks here.
> But if Gene gets a prescription for ANY type of pain relief(VA), we get it filled ....'pronto'!!
> I am saving them in a shoe box.
> 
> ...


Better to keep them in a safe in their original bottle. My wife and I hate narcotics, but we still fill them and store them.

If it was not mine or a household member, I would destroy them. There are plenty of ways to get a rx for narcs that I will NOT share with anyone. But they are legal, just not ethical or moral.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

weedygarden said:


> Helicopter, when you lived in Parkhill, did you know a former Colorado governor who lived on Montview, maybe Cherry cross street? I know the people who bought their house, after the big election. One of the sons had a drug use situation, which revealed some of his lost stash after they remodeled his bedroom.


Are you talking about Romer? I new them as I went to school with Paul Romer for a couple years at a private school (Graland Country Day) I mainly remember Paul and his sister Susan.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

helicopter5472 said:


> Are you talking about Romer? I new them as I went to school with Paul Romer for a couple years at a private school (Graland Country Day) I mainly remember Paul and his sister Susan.


Yes, right family name.


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## Beaniemaster2 (May 22, 2012)

Definitely keep them... tuck them away safely as people has said... SHTF, you may need those few pills...


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## professor (Nov 19, 2012)

Beaniemaster2 said:


> Definitely keep them... tuck them away safely as people have said... SHTF, you may need those few pills...


 I'm a nurse - keep the meds - label them and tuck them in your preps. Severe pain can be quite incapacitating - you now have a means to treat severe pain in an emergent situation. Too me, it is like every other commodity we prep with - something you dont want to ever need, but may serve a badly needed purpose. I encourage people to keep any left over meds, have them refilled as often as possible. Store them indoors in a container that blocks light. Medications dont turn 'bad' as they age, they simply lose their potency and they lose that slowly. I would rather take 2 10year old penicillin tabs than have no antibiotic at all! Take care!


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

helicopter5472 said:


> Are you talking about Romer? I new them as I went to school with Paul Romer for a couple years at a private school (Graland Country Day) I mainly remember Paul and his sister Susan.


Graland huh?? Are you a charter member of the Mile High Silver Spooners??


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

I say keep them, label them, and stash them for later. It's just another prep.

Definitely, don't have a prescription med in your car without the prescription being in your name. 

And definitely don't flush drugs into the city sewage system - There's enough bad stuff in there already. Pharmacies take drugs that need disposed of.


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

I personally keep mine. I kept the left overs from my kidney stones and so did my brother, who's a Corporal in the marine corp. If you're not going to abuse them, don't worry about it.


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## Beaniemaster2 (May 22, 2012)

Does anybody have any good sites to order Antibiotics without a prescription??? The company I deal with is kinda high and when I got them from the company in England, the pills came back from India....


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

I ordered my fish antibiotics from an online pet supply company. They all are the same brand with the same label that you find on eBay. Most of em anyway.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

You cannot legally take or be in possession of them. If you are going to keep them for emergencies, make sure you keep the name of the drug, the strength (how many milligrams per pill), & when/how to use or not use it.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

professor said:


> Medications dont turn 'bad' as they age, they simply lose their potency and they lose that slowly!


Some DO, in fact, turn bad. Deadly as a matter of fact. Ignorance about the meds you store can kill you or your loved one. If you don't want to do the research to use them safely, don't store them. The first rule in medicine is "do no harm".


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## Tradecraft (Mar 3, 2014)

weedygarden said:


> My conundrum: I do not have a prescription for these. Should I put them in the garbage disposal and get rid of them, stash them in my first aid kit, return them to a drug store for them to dispose of? I am concerned about the legality of this situation, and yet the potential for pain meds in a grid down situation.
> 
> What would you do?


What I would do is irrelevant. But, you should know that being in possession of a narcotic that was not prescribed to you is against both federal and state law. Generally, you would be charged by the state and not the feds but that depends on certain factors. If you only have a few pills you could be charged with possession of a narcotic drug. If you have a lot of pills you can be charged with intent to distribute narcotic drugs. Both are felonies. Keep in mind that laws vary from state to state.

Another fact that most people are not aware is that you can get a DUI charge for taking certain prescription medications even if it was prescribed to you and you are taking the appropriate dosage. Many law enforcement agencies are not doing blood tests to test for prescription and illegal drugs.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Beaniemaster2 said:


> Does anybody have any good sites to order Antibiotics without a prescription??? The company I deal with is kinda high and when I got them from the company in England, the pills came back from India....


I used Thomas Labs


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*222s*

I am 6 weeks out from having the worst cold I have ever had. Ever. I don't get sick very often, but when I do, wow. I have felt about 100% for about a week now.

My first sign of this cold was a deep bronchial almost croupy cough that I had one morning when I woke up. It got worse for a while, but the first two weeks were wicked. I am certainly not the only person I know who got this. I never had a fever, that I could detect. Since I did not have a fever, I thought the doctor would not prescribe anything that I couldn't just buy at the drug store, so why go? Of the people I know who went to the doctor, some did not get prescriptions, but a few did. Of the others I know who had this cold, they also described this as the worst cold they have ever had. One former colleague has a disabled daughter and typically only uses sick days for her daughter's appointments. She used some of her sick days for herself.

I had some days that I had horrible headaches. The interesting thing is that everyday was a little different.

I have a friend who is a native Canadian and had been to Canada at Christmas time. He brought back some 222s and gave me a bottle. So while I had these horrible headaches, I took 222s. For those who don't know, in many parts of Canada, you can buy a common over the counter pain medication called 222s and they contain acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), caffeine and 8 mg. of codeine phosphate. He was in Alberta about a month later and they were not available where he was there. I don't know if that is all of Alberta.

So while I was taking the 222s for many days, I noticed that the pain in my knees didn't exist. I have days when my knees really bother me, and then days when not as much. But I feel and hear my knees when I walk most of the time. So I have days now when my knees are really hurting and I take a couple 222s in the morning, and my knees are good for most of the day. I don't need them everyday.

I imagine that having 222s in my purse could get me in trouble. I would really like to be able to buy some 222s without going to Canada, but I don't think they are even in the possibilities for doctors to prescribe in the U.S.


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## drfacefixer (Mar 8, 2013)

The closest drug I know we have in the US is Fiorinal® with Codeine. It's formulation is much different though. Butalbital 50 mg, aspirin 325 mg, caffeine 40 mg, and codeine phosphate 30 mg. it's mainly for tension type headaches. Codeine at less than 30mg usually does have much effect. Excedrin migraine OTC will give you 500 mg aspirin and 120 caffeine. Honestly, without writing a pediatric dose, I don't think there is a formulated drug with less than 30mg codeine. It's not that potent as a pain killer but does have great antitussive properties. Unfortunately, it gets abused, hence it's controlled.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Thank you, drfacefixer. I didn't realize that codeine had an affect on coughs. I typically have some peppermint candies for coughing. I went through all I had and have gone to get more a couple times. I had days when I coughed much more than others, and I didn't correlate that to the days when I took the 222s and the days I didn't.


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## mamamouse (Feb 15, 2014)

codeine can be purchased otc in the united states in the form of a cough syrup (Robitussin AC or generic). It must be requested at the pharmacy counter, and you can only purchase four ounces every 48 hours. Not all pharmacies will sell it without a prescription, though I'm certain Krogers does


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

I am sure a lot of docs would give you regular old cough syrup with codeine. Just go to a walk in or your PCP. One of the dangers of the depp hacking coughs is you may break a rib. More common in those with poorer bone structure of course. But anti-tussives may save your life.
Or at the least stop your spouse from putting that pillow over your mouth to dampen the sound!.... see save your life it will.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

mamamouse said:


> codeine can be purchased otc in the united states in the form of a cough syrup (Robitussin AC or generic). It must be requested at the pharmacy counter, and you can only purchase four ounces every 48 hours. Not all pharmacies will sell it without a prescription, though I'm certain Krogers does


Costco sells 2 packs of 12oz bottles of it. I grab a 2 pack everytime I go.

I had to get Claritin D yesterday as part of the many meds we were told to take by the doctor yesterday. At Costco I can grab it off the shelf with out signing anything. At CVS I could only get a 15 pill pack and had to sign a million and one forms before they sold it to me.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

CA lets you take the "D" meds like that? Here in CT they assume we are making meth and have to give them a copy of our license.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

JimMadsen said:


> CA lets you take the "D" meds like that? Here in CT they assume we are making meth and have to give them a copy of our license.


At Costco they keep a record of your purchases under your membership so they know how often you buy it. But I can buy 3 or 4 bottles at a time if I really want. I like that the bottles have 50 pills in them verses 15.

Its not like the pharmacy where you have to sign a dozen forms before they even get it from behind the counter.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I don't know if this is true or not, but this just came across facebook, and if it is true, I really wish I didn't know it, because then I would each much more chocolate. It says that chocolate is good at suppressing coughs. I can't get the photo to load. It keeps saying it is invalid.

The post said that dark chocolate is more effective than codeine at suppressing a cough. Sure wish I could get the photo to post.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

weedygarden said:


> I don't know if this is true or not, but this just came across facebook, and if it is true, I really wish I didn't know it, because then I would each much more chocolate. It says that chocolate is good at suppressing coughs. I can't get the photo to load. It keeps saying it is invalid.


Never heard of that. :dunno:
With my luck, it would be dark chocolate (which I don't care for) and not milk chocolate (which I love but doesn't seem to be good for anything but adding to the hips). I guess I'll stick with honey and herbs for cough suppression.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

JimMadsen said:


> CA lets you take the "D" meds like that? Here in CT they assume we are making meth and have to give them a copy of our license.


Same in Texas; they scan your driver's license and all purchases are kept track of in Austin. You can only buy two boxes of Sudafed at a time, and only a few per month.


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