Lorazepam (CAS 846-49-1): storage and disposal

Small glass ampoules in a carton are the form most likely to cause a problem, because lorazepam injection is normally kept cold and out of the light. That means refrigerated stock needs secure, temperature-controlled storage appropriate to the product and the site's medicines procedures. Stock left in an unsuitable fridge or on an emergency trolley may have an uncertain storage history. Tablets are simpler and stay in their original packs in the locked cupboard. Keep the appropriate stock and temperature records up to date for both. Oxidisers and acids stay in a separate store. Because of the fertility and unborn child classification, broken ampoules are a matter for the pharmacist to manage, not whoever happens to find them.

Very little shows on a shelf at first: a carton with a worn label, or an ampoule box in the wrong fridge. The injection should be clear and is noticeably thick, so slow movement in the glass is normal. Discolouration or solid particles are not. The awkward part is that an ampoule left out of the fridge can look exactly the same as a properly kept one, so a gap in the fridge record counts as a warning sign in its own right. Tablets give few visible signs beyond chipping, damp blisters or print that has rubbed off. Any stock you cannot match to the relevant stock records should be reported, whatever it looks like.

This does not go through our standard collection route. It is arranged by manual enquiry, and never goes down the drain or into general waste.

Snapping ampoules to empty them into a sink is never acceptable, and neither is tipping tablets into a general waste bin. This stock is not quoted online. It needs a manual enquiry, and a store assessment is recommended where a fridge or cupboard has collected several years of returns and part-used packs. The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 govern what happens next, and a general chemical collection does not cover it. Routine Schedule 4 Part 1 stock destruction does not normally need an authorised witness, although local procedures may ask for one, so the accountable officer or responsible pharmacist has the first word. Finished medicines from human healthcare normally fall under 18 01 09. Tell us whether ampoules have been out of cold storage, and leave them in place until advice arrives.

Usually held as: injection, tablets.

Tell us the container size and how many you hold. An estimate is enough to start with, and some items cannot be priced until someone has looked at them.