I'm a pharmacist. Sorry, Olddude, excess meds *have* to be destroyed, they can't safely be re-used.

The point being - from the point of view of any health professional - is, that once the med has gone out of the door, you don't know and cannot tell, under what conditions it has been stored. Or if it has been tampered with. So you cannot, ethically give it to any other patient.

Long, long ago, I used to be an activist in collecting old meds which were sent by a UK church group to Africa. Eventually we were asked to stop doing this, for just this reason - it was too uncertain and we didn't want anyone's death on our collective conscience.

Return your excess meds to your local pharmacy or hospital - or make sure they are disposed of as hazardous waste. Do *not* flush them or send them to landfill.