You can just keep the pills. If you're really that strong about avoiding addiction why do you feel the need to throw them away?
Something that keeps tripping me up with the label of drug seeking, is that in this situation the person is correctly drug seeking in a situation they've previously had a specific problem diagnosed and have had positive experiences with a therapeutic. They simply need to subject themselves to the ritual, follow doctor's orders, and not look like they are drug-seeking to successfully drug-seek the therapeutic.
What bother me is the implicit confusion between seeking drugs to treat a specific problem, versus not. Confusion creates damage both ways, with an insufficiently individualized approach people subject to drug addictions may not be sufficiently protected (many are still successful finding someone who will fuel their addiction), while people not subject to drug addiction receive substandard care.
I've been in this situation a few times as I've moved around the US for both xanax (as needed) and adderall (daily) concurrently.
The short of it is this: you just have to find the right clinician.
Because of how the system works, you're not limited to psychiatrists. Pretty much anyone with a prescription pad can dispense these in month-sized quantities (primary care, psychiatrists, prescribing nurses, even dentists).
Call providers and tell them explicitly what prescription you need and that you're having trouble finding a doctor to work with you and it's frustrating. A lot of them will say "oh, this practice isn't what you're looking for" and eventually you'll find one that says yes.
Try to think of it as "patient advocacy" instead of "drug seeking behavior" while you're having conversations with professionals.
I'm not a doc but something about that combo activates my fear response... how would that even work?
I take xanax when I have to go do something that causes me a lot of anxiety but is required (family function, some doctor appointments, etc) and to mitigate panic attacks when I feel them starting (which thankfully hasn't happened in a long time). But I'm not usually on adderall for those events, so there's not much overlap for interaction.
I spent way too many years pretending everything was fine when my head was spinning with anxiety or when I couldn't get motivated for work. Eventually I just sorted out what drugs modulated me successfully, realized that I don't have an addiction problem, and now I've got a system for managing my life better.
But outside of that, getting rid of unused pills is good practice. These pills are going to expire. Once they do, you can no longer rely on them doing what you expect. Plus, a lot of folks don't like to keep stuff they aren't using around the house - it is always a bit of upkeep or storage.
And that doesn't even get into it being safer around children. It is easier to prevent children from getting into such things if they aren't in the house.
FYI: Check with your pharmacy about bringing unused medicine to them to dispose of properly instead of putting it in the trash.
Evidence required.
Expiration dates are put on many things as a CYA, but I don't expect dry chemicals destined for human (or animal!) use kept in an airtight container protected from the sunlight to degrade within 10 years.
Should they degrade, the question is into what, and how much: 5% degradation into what the human body breaks the chemical into should have no consequence.
> FYI: Check with your pharmacy about bringing unused medicine to them to dispose of properly instead of putting it in the trash.
Or just keep it and use it as needed, solving both of your problems at once!
Disagree completely.
Source: retired neurosurgical anesthesiologist (38 years practice)
Reasons:
1) When you need those pills you won't have them
2) Properly stored pills (dark shelf/cabinet) lose potency/efficacy VERY slowly: perhaps 10%/year. So 5-year-old pills will still work fine. Take one, see if does what it did originally; if not, take another.
3) If you're traveling and need that medication, good luck. You'll wish you'd saved them.
Pills (and chemicals) are not SSL certificates: they don't cease to work at the expiration date + 1 second.
I know I read somewhere about morphine pills from WW2 medkits being found to still be useful 60+ years later - like say 30-50% of stated dose.
Maybe a liquid medicine would go bad but I suspect pills are forever.
Yes it will. The pills don't actually expire. They will work unchanged for decades.
See: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expirati...