A new study examined college student over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medication purchasing, use, and disposal practices in order to better understand the behaviors that result in pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters. The researchers administered an online survey to a convenience sample of 358 U.S. university students. Female students reported purchasing more OTC and prescription drugs than male students and 61% of students reported having leftover drugs of any kind (27% reported leftover prescription medications and 51% reported leftover OTC drugs). Reasons for leftover medication included more medicine came in the package than was needed and stopping the medication because it was not working. 31% of students reported they kept leftover prescription medication, 13% said they disposed of it, and 2% of students reported they gave prescription painkillers or stimulants to a friend or family member. 55% of students reported they kept leftover OTC drugs, 8% reported throwing them away, and 6% reported giving them to a friend or family member. The most commonly reported method of disposal was trash (13% for prescriptions and 18% for OTC medications) and the most frequently reported reason for disposal was no longer needing the medication. Only 24% of respondents reported they had heard of National Drug Take-Back Day and only 4% of respondents reported they had actually used this service.
Take away: College students may be storing a large volume of unused medications that could potentially be misused or diverted. When students do dispose of unused drugs, they most often throw them away, which could potentially contribute to pollution and drug misuse.