Medicine is wasted in a variety of ways and there are many reasons why these pharmaceuticals go unused. The Food and Drug Administration works to reduce this costly waste and provides guidelines that help facilitate the industry. Even if each tier of the system were to do everything right, there would still be some wasted medication left over and in need of proper disposal. Changes in consumer demand, prescribing practices and the way in which drugs are dispensed and packaged all play a factor. Many of the reasons for pharmaceutical waste are ineludible and cannot be controlled by rules and regulations.

Common Ways Medicine Is Wasted:

• Different medications are prescribed while searching for the right treatment
• A consumer buys more over the counter medicine than necessary
• Drugs are overprescribed or the individual recovers and there are leftovers
• Medicine expires before it's completely gone
• Medicines are left over when a patient dies
• Drugs cause allergic reactions or side effects and patient stops taking them
• People stop taking their prescribed medication before they should 

Going Unused 

 Unused medicines are a safety risk, to ensure the safety of patients most facilities dispose of perfectly good unused unexpired medication when its original patient no longer needs it. This means that more and more medication is going in the trash when there is nothing wrong with it. Even if the packages have never been opened, once the drug has left the pharmacy, they aren't recycled or used by anyone else. A majority of the pharmaceuticals that are tossed are unused for various reasons and thrown away.

Stocking Up

It is incredibly important to be aware of what medications you need and keep track of the products you already have. If you don’t need the medicine don’t order it, some people keep a stock of drugs in case they need it in the future. You can always request it when you have the need for it but when it is sitting in your cabinet there is a larger chance that it will eventually become trash. 

Packaging

Packaging plays a large role in medical waste as well. It has been known for decades that some medications are packaged in a larger quantity than most patients need. Once the dosage needed is administered nurses will throw out any remaining contents. Packing the medication into smaller containers would not only save from waste but make the drug more affordable because you are only paying for what you will use.