National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

Tomorrow, April 26th, is "National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day". It is important to dispose of your prescription medications properly to protect the environment and human health. You can turn in your expired, or no longer needed, prescription drugs at a collection center from 10:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, April 26th. You can find your nearest collection center via this page.  

If you miss the collection tomorrow, you can still dispose of unwanted prescriptions using household disposal tips. You can learn the steps to dispose of unwanted prescriptions by reading this pdf : "How to Dispose of Medicines Properly".  

Website to Compare Prescription Drug Prices in Florida

Want to find the lowest price for your prescription drug at local pharmacies? The Florida Attorney General and the Agency for Health Care Administration have created a website to enable Florida residents to compare prescription drug prices at different pharmacies. This website, myfloridarx.com, provides information about the 100 most commonly used prescription drugs and the price information is updated monthly. The reported prices are retail prices for uninsured customers without any supplemental plan.  Note: prices may change within the month, so these are not guaranteed prices.

Low Cost Prescriptions

There are several pharmacies that offer free or low cost prescriptions:

Publix offers a 14 day supply of many common oral antibiotics for free. These antibiotics include: Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin, and Erythromycin Stearate. The full list can be found here. One only needs to bring in their doctor's prescription to one of the Publix pharmacies to get these antibiotics for free.



Walmart offers many generic prescriptions for $4 for a 30 day supply and $10 for a 90 day supply. The full list of generic medicines included in this program is located here. Walmart is also starting a pilot program in Michigan to offer free mail delivery of the 90 day prescriptions.


In addition, there is a nonprofit organization called NeedyMeds, which helps people who cannot afford medicine or health care costs. You can search for low cost medication programs on their website by the name of the drug or by the name of manufacturer of the drug you need. The website gives information about how to apply for the different programs. In addition, it lists low cost clinics, disease-based assistance, and government programs that can help with health care costs.

Medication Management Program for Seniors

The National Council on Aging has partnered with CVS /Pharmacy to create "Pack Your Bag" outreach programs at senior centers. These programs ask seniors to bring their prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements to be reviewed by a pharmacist. The pharmacist checks for possible drug interactions, checks for expired medications, and also informs the senior about the availability of cheaper generic versions of their prescriptions. If a "Pack Your Bag" program is not being given in your neighborhood, you can arrange to have a personal consultation with a local CVS pharmacist.