BATON ROUGE — Leftover or expired medications can be dangerous if not disposed of properly, medical officials say. Staying informed on medication disposal helps safeguard your home and community from unnecessary risks.

"It's not uncommon that I hear parents have a lot of leftover medications or medications they no longer need to use, and that can include opioid pain medications, maybe after a surgery or an injury,” said Dr. Tina Ardon, a family medicine expert with the Mayo Clinic.

Experts also discourage holding on to medication for potential future use.

"There can be the tendency sometimes to reach for something that was used for another purpose, for a new pain. And we want to make sure, again, our patients are using medications that are right for their issue,” Ardon said.

Pain medication is not the only one that carries consequences. Using any medicine for something it wasn't meant for may lead to side effects or other problems.

"A common example is using leftover antibiotics that can cause resistance to some of the bacteria that are out there. We want to make sure we are using our antibiotics appropriately,” Ardon said.

Experts recommend taking medications completely as prescribed and safely disposing of those you are no longer using.