Unused medicines refused by Boots

Its not a case of 'stockpiling'Nina,but if you've changed any meds when you've just received a prescription, or been taken off one for another etc., then yes you have some leftover to dispose of.I find its best to return to chemist where they issued them in first place, usually, but don't know during the pandemic what the advice is really- i don't know what they expect us to do with them otherwise? Except contact the hospital, who could incinerate them probably?

We had the same problem as the OP with Lloyds. When we tried to return some prescription items (dispensed by that branch of Lloyds) for disposal after MIL died, they refused to take them. We took them to a local independent pharmacy who accepted them straight away. This was before the pandemic.

I would always try to support an independent pharmacy when I can, rather than these chains who don't seem to care about service, just about making money.

Yes, I had this in Sainsbury’s pharmacy. They did take them in the end, because when they told me to dispose of them safely, I asked how I was supposed to do that! I couldn’t really see how it was unsafe to take them. They went into a tray, and the assistant wore gloves.

This week our local independent chemist took some medication for disposal and I dropped off two pairs of glasses at the opticians for collection by the Rotary Club.

The thread is a coincidence. I was just wondering what to do with two unopened packs of v strong opioid painkillers I was given on discharge after my knee replacements. I expect they have a good 'street value'! I just don't want them in our cupboard and know you're not supposed to flush them down the loo.

I have worked in the pharmacy at Boots. My instructions were to accept back all unused medication unless they were controlled drugs in which case the pharmacist would have to deal with them separately. So I don’t know why they would refuse them

I remember when Boots was a bit of a flagship chain. Then it was eventually sold to a private equity firm who completely restructured it financially so that it runs at a loss and therefore pays no corporation tax. No idea about Lloyd’s and Superdrug.

I did email Boots, and have had a reply asking for the location of the store. Accordingly, they will ask the manager to contact us .
Now I just wanted to know whether they were obliged to take back unused meds. I don't want to get anyone in trouble, as I know how busy they have all been lately. So do I keep quiet?

Jane10, a couple of years ago, I returned some opiate drugs and a book had to be filled in with all the details, name address etc. I was surprised at how it was dealt with, and seemingly a very serious matter.

You need to tell them. It isn’t getting people into trouble but making the store function more efficiently.

My husband had a small bag of our old medicine refused by boots this morning. I’m reporting them to the nhs, as they’ve refused to take them before.

They have a legal requirement to take old medication and need a pharmacist to deal with the prescribed medications you return.

It sounds like your husband ran into an unfortunate situation with Boots. Pharmacies typically accept unused or partially used medication for disposal to ensure it’s handled safely and not misused. However, there can be instances where they are unable to accept returns due to policies or local regulations, especially if they are dealing with an unusually high volume of returns. It's also possible that the medication was not in a condition that met their criteria for return (e.g., opened packaging, expired, or damaged).

If Boots wasn’t able to help, you can try another pharmacy, but it might also be worth contacting your local NHS or the organization that manages prescription medication returns in your area. They may have guidelines or alternative solutions for disposing of the medication safely. Additionally, some areas have designated take-back programs where you can return unused medication.

Has anyone else had this issue, or is there another pharmacy you could try?

Nearly 5 year old thread.

Is it still a problem?

I returned a lot of unused meds to Boots. The important thing is to remove the strips of pills from the boxes which contain info re the person the pills were prescribed for. I handed in a big bag of these anonymous packs of pills which were immediately accepted without femur.

Demur!! What an odd phone I have.