Medication Cleanout: Another first for Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - It’s time again for the Medication Cleanout, sponsored by Texas Tech.

By now, you probably know what that means.

It’s a chance to clean out your medicine cabinet to keep drugs off the streets and out of our water supply.

With an easy drive-thru, you can drop off drugs and syringes and let the professionals dispose of them properly.

What you may NOT know is the remarkable impact this simple event at Texas Tech has had, far beyond its parking lot.

Dr. Charles Seifert, PharmD, is Regional Dean of the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy.

He says, “This is the 77th medication cleanout, counting Amarillo, Abilene and Lubbock, that we’ve been a part of, collecting over 35 tons of medications and sharps.”

Even the Drug Enforcement Agency took notice of this little campaign and made it a big deal nationwide.

“April 30th is actually nationally the DEA Drug Takeback Day,” Seifert adds. “Of course, their efforts were to avoid drug diversion, but we started doing this before they ever started that nationally.”

Aside from keeping drugs off the streets, the Medication Cleanout is an effort to prevent accidents.

Dr. Seifert says, “To help keep small children from overdosing on leftover medications that may be in an unlocked cabinet or whatever. An adult dose, one or two doses, can kill a small child.”

Likewise, Dr. Seifert says the cleanout makes it less likely for an older person to become confused in a potentially dangerous medicine mix-up.

Bottom line, you have another chance Saturday, April 30, to let the professionals dispose of partially used, unwanted or expired drugs and syringes by using a simple drive-thru event outside the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center.

According to Dr. Seifert, it’s as easy as driving up to a Sonic, maybe easier.

The Medication Cleanout is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Health Sciences Center on 4th Street near Indiana.

Look for the signs to direct you.

*One more important note: You can cross your name off a prescription but please leave any medication in its original container. Officials need to know what it is to sort it first before it can be destroyed.

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