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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 25 of 28. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
I have a small problem with how to get rid of the info printed on the label of a plastic medecine container after it's empty. For my sensitive personal mail, I just put it in a paper shredder. For these labels, I can't peel them off of the bottles to save my life. I also tried blacking it out with a permanent magic marker, but when it dries you can still read all the info. The labels have my full name, phone number, doctor's name, the med name, my address. Heck, it seems like the only thing missing is my SS number. I just feel uncomfortable throwing it in the trash. Anyone have any ideas?
Posted by jane d on December 25, 2003, at 2:59:17
In reply to What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
> I have a small problem with how to get rid of the info printed on the label of a plastic medecine container after it's empty. For my sensitive personal mail, I just put it in a paper shredder. For these labels, I can't peel them off of the bottles to save my life. I also tried blacking it out with a permanent magic marker, but when it dries you can still read all the info. The labels have my full name, phone number, doctor's name, the med name, my address. Heck, it seems like the only thing missing is my SS number. I just feel uncomfortable throwing it in the trash. Anyone have any ideas?
>Bob,
It really embarasses me that I have an answer for this but it used to bother me too. In fact it still does on alternate days. Try soaking the empty bottles in water. Even if the label will not come off, once it is soaked you can scratch off enough of the paper to make it completely illegible.Jane
Posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 3:16:43
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by jane d on December 25, 2003, at 2:59:17
Excellent idea, Jane! That should work well, I hope. It will just be time consuming.
I am trained as a mechanical engineer, and didn't even think of that. Maybe that's why I'm on disability.
I wouldn't be shy about having the answer to my question. I can think of few things I throw in the trash that have more personal info than those bottles. Someone can see at a glance who I am, where I live, what my number is, who my doctor is and what type of doc they are, where my pharmacy is, and most egregiously, the exact medication and dosage I'm taking. That, of course, would allow someone to know what I'm being treated for. Not cool.
Posted by linkadge on December 25, 2003, at 6:19:37
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » jane d, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 3:16:43
It's really nobodys buisness what medication you're taking, besides somtimes it a pain
for people to know you're medicating for this
or that because they'll be expecting you to act a certain way.Or perhaps thats just my paranoid little view :)
Anyhow, yes you can soak them in hot water, steam them off, use a hairdryer to weaken the glue, use paint remover, sandblast it, or sick an M-100 inside the bottle.
Linkadge
Posted by sailor on December 25, 2003, at 7:27:42
In reply to You're right, posted by linkadge on December 25, 2003, at 6:19:37
This thread is sounding like "heloise's Hints" but I can't resist my 2 cents: a piece of very coarse abrasive paper (40 grit or 60 grit) will obliterate the label with a few swipes. Or a coarse file.
Even in the midst of depression, our brains can sometimes solve problems!!! My best to all you babblers on this big holiday..be patient, keep up the struggle, the only certainty is change. My special thanks to those of you who contribute so often, with so much useful information. I hope to become a more active participant in this new year. I'll keep posting on the results of my current Parnate trial (3rd week of 30mg/day). Sailor
Posted by noa on December 25, 2003, at 8:54:03
In reply to Re: You're right, posted by sailor on December 25, 2003, at 7:27:42
What about using baby oil or nail polish remover? Either of these usually works with stubborn adhesives.
Posted by ian24 on December 25, 2003, at 10:09:53
In reply to What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
I used to scratch off evert identifyable thing hoing the neigbors and the dept of homeland security wouldn't think I was a weirdo . Now I don't give a flying puck! The world can kiss my ass lol
Posted by Waterlily on December 25, 2003, at 15:36:02
In reply to What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
I think it would be more fun to set it on fire ;0)
Posted by Laree on December 25, 2003, at 17:42:00
In reply to What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
There is a product out called "Goo Be Gone" -- it removes stuck-on tape, anything sticky really, I guess; it comes in a bottle with a black label, I think. I used it quite often at my job last year, which was at a day care center ;) Should definitely work very well on the rx labels. It works fast, too--I'd say a few min. maybe and you'd be label-free with little labor! :) Good luck!
Posted by jane d on December 25, 2003, at 18:32:36
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » jane d, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 3:16:43
Bob,
I didn't mean to come across as self righteous. I've decided that I don't have much to lose if people know what drugs I'm taking. After walking around in tears in public all the time I figure they all know what's wrong with me - the only thing left to know is if I'm being treated and with what. I might feel differently if I had the option of keeping it private.
Also, when I got up above 5 different bottles per day it just became too much work. I'd save the empty bottles for when I had time to remove the labels and suddenly I'd have this huge pile spilling out all over everything. At that point it became easier to decide to just dump them and hope for the best. Either that or wait for a night I felt really obsessive. (I have a pile right here that is almost ready for one fate or the other now. )
Also, don't forget to shred that stupid information sheet the drug store gives you, if like my store, they print your name on it.
Jane
Posted by Camille Dumont on December 25, 2003, at 19:39:36
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » Bob, posted by jane d on December 25, 2003, at 18:32:36
You could always just get a huge permanent marker and black out the info on the lable.
And if you really want to get rid of the tags, I recommend lighter fluid ... it does wonders to remove prices and tags from books as it disolves the glue.
Posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 22:42:41
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » Bob, posted by jane d on December 25, 2003, at 18:32:36
Yup, I get the info sheet to. Worthless to me, and it has all my personal info on it also. I'm probably living in fantasy world thinking anybody who finds the bottle with the label would give two flyin' hoots, but whatever.
I've had as many as 5 bottles/day before. I'm at three right now.
> Bob,
>
> I didn't mean to come across as self righteous. I've decided that I don't have much to lose if people know what drugs I'm taking. After walking around in tears in public all the time I figure they all know what's wrong with me - the only thing left to know is if I'm being treated and with what. I might feel differently if I had the option of keeping it private.
>
> Also, when I got up above 5 different bottles per day it just became too much work. I'd save the empty bottles for when I had time to remove the labels and suddenly I'd have this huge pile spilling out all over everything. At that point it became easier to decide to just dump them and hope for the best. Either that or wait for a night I felt really obsessive. (I have a pile right here that is almost ready for one fate or the other now. )
>
> Also, don't forget to shred that stupid information sheet the drug store gives you, if like my store, they print your name on it.
>
> Jane
Posted by Sebastian on December 26, 2003, at 7:50:50
In reply to What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
Burn it off with a lighter?
Posted by Lyrical13 on December 27, 2003, at 7:25:57
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Sebastian on December 26, 2003, at 7:50:50
Glad to hear I'm not the only one who worries about this! Actually, I don't worry about it as much as I used to...I am more comfortable talkiing about my mood disorder than I used to be but am still selective on who gets that info. Never hurts to be cautious though with all the stuff you hear these days about identity theft etc. BTW, have any of you seen the commercials re: identity theft? I think by Citibank or some other credit card co. Hilarious.
L13
Posted by Dr. Bob on December 27, 2003, at 21:48:42
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by ian24 on December 25, 2003, at 10:09:53
> The world can kiss my [*]ss lol
Please don't use language that could offend others. I've asked you to be civil before, so now I'm going to block you from posting for a week.
Bob
PS: Follow-ups regarding posting policies, and complaints about posts, should be redirected to Psycho-Babble Administration; otherwise, they may be deleted.
Posted by tenshen on December 27, 2003, at 23:03:11
In reply to What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
Seriously, anyone that's gonna rummage through peoples trash likely has their own set of problems. I wouldn't sweat it =)
Posted by sb417 on December 28, 2003, at 0:41:08
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by tenshen on December 27, 2003, at 23:03:11
> Seriously, anyone that's gonna rummage through >peoples trash likely has their own set of >problems. I wouldn't sweat it =)
We've actually had this problem in my apartment complex. There are at least three tenants here who are notorious for sifting through other tenants' tied plastic bags in the middle of the night. One night I brought my garbage downstairs, and one of the garbage-mongers, a guy, was there, opening up the tied garbage bags. He had a box with him, and he was putting someone else's garbage into his box. I don't know whether he was looking for financial documents, social security numbers, or whatever, but I think it's a good idea to get a cross-cut paper shredder. The paper shredder won't help with medicine bottle labels, but it's good to use it for anything else with your name, social security number, credit card number, bank account numbers, etc. There is also a mother-daughter "team" in my building that does this in the middle of the night. These two actually take other tenants' garbage bags into their apartment. I think they are absolutely disgusting. What I do now is this: If I throw out anything personal that I haven't thoroughly shredded, I take several scoops of DIRTY kitty litter and throw it on top of the garbage before I tie the garbage bag. I figure, if they are willing to plow through my cat's stinky excrement, then they can have my garbage, but they're going to have to "work" for it.
Posted by gabbix2 on December 28, 2003, at 15:42:28
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » tenshen, posted by sb417 on December 28, 2003, at 0:41:08
> I think they are absolutely disgusting. What I do now is this: If I throw out anything personal that I haven't thoroughly shredded, I take several scoops of DIRTY kitty litter and throw it on top of the garbage before I tie the garbage bag.
Some people go through garbage out of necessity, not to steal identities. Recycling goods is the only way some people have to keep themselves from
starving.
Posted by sb417 on December 28, 2003, at 17:28:34
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » sb417, posted by gabbix2 on December 28, 2003, at 15:42:28
> > > Some people go through garbage out of necessity, not to steal identities. Recycling goods is the only way some people have to keep themselves from> starving.
>
************************************************
The man I saw that night was taking papers out of garbage bags and putting them in his box. Unless he is able to eat and digest paper, I don't think that will keep him from starving. And, although I have not seen rat poison at my present apartment, I have seen previous landlords placing rat poison in the garbage. Many rat poisons contain warfarin, an anticoagulant. Ingestion of warfarin causes the rats to bleed to death. I hope that starving people will not eat rat poison. There are soup kitchens, community centers and relief organizations in my town that serve lunches and dinners every day of the week. That is preferable to eating garbage with or without rat poison. I realize, however, that not all communities have these resources.
Posted by dragonfly25 on December 28, 2003, at 17:35:43
In reply to What to do with labels on medication bottles?, posted by Bob on December 25, 2003, at 1:27:22
i used to have that problem where i couldn't get the labels off but that was years ago...i thought labels had changed. at the pharmacys i go to you can peel them right off and stick them back on again, maybe try another store, or ask the pharmacist. what i used to do was just scratch/peel off my name when i had that problem-usually it is at the bottom or top on the side so it wasn't that much of a pain.
dragonfly> I have a small problem with how to get rid of the info printed on the label of a plastic medecine container after it's empty. For my sensitive personal mail, I just put it in a paper shredder. For these labels, I can't peel them off of the bottles to save my life. I also tried blacking it out with a permanent magic marker, but when it dries you can still read all the info. The labels have my full name, phone number, doctor's name, the med name, my address. Heck, it seems like the only thing missing is my SS number. I just feel uncomfortable throwing it in the trash. Anyone have any ideas?
>
>
Posted by gabbix2 on December 28, 2003, at 17:46:46
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » gabbix2, posted by sb417 on December 28, 2003, at 17:28:34
I hadn't mentioned eating garbage, I had made reference to recycling goods taken from the garbage which is what many people who sift through it are doing.
Posted by sb417 on December 28, 2003, at 20:56:56
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » sb417, posted by gabbix2 on December 28, 2003, at 17:46:46
> I hadn't mentioned eating garbage, I had made >reference to recycling goods taken from the >garbage which is what many people who sift >through it are doing.
Oh. I thought you were talking about eating garbage because in your previous post, you said that this practice kept people from starving. I know there are people who are destitute who must resort to going through garbage to survive; however, I can assure you that anyone who can afford to live in this area and in this building, is far from starvation. The mother-daughter team of garbage-mongers that I mentioned above just bought a brand new car about a month ago. Not a new used car, but a new NEW car. Their behavior is inappropriate and intrusive in all other respects, but as far as I can see, they are not destitute.
Posted by gabbix2 on December 28, 2003, at 23:02:26
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » gabbix2, posted by sb417 on December 28, 2003, at 20:56:56
Posted by kara lynne on December 28, 2003, at 23:48:09
In reply to Re: What to do with labels on medication bottles? » gabbix2, posted by sb417 on December 28, 2003, at 20:56:56
-If I throw out anything personal that I haven't thoroughly shredded, I take several scoops of DIRTY kitty litter and throw it on top of the garbage before I tie the garbage bag--
I thought I was the only one who did that!! And I had exactly the same thought--if they're gonna go to that extent to get into my personal stuff they can have it.
I can see those new multi purpose cat litter ads coming...
Posted by sb417 on December 29, 2003, at 23:27:48
In reply to sb417, posted by kara lynne on December 28, 2003, at 23:48:09
> -> I can see those new multi purpose cat litter ads coming...
Hi Kara Lynne. I wouldn't be surprised! We could write a book on some of the neighbors we've had!
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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