Usually, I peel off the label (the identifying part of it) before recycling empty bottles that contained Lithium pills, because Lithium is a giveway bipolar drug and I do not want my neighbors - in a huge apartment complex - to know I have it.

With Synthroid bottles, I do not bother, since it is not a psychiatric drug. That I take it to compensate for the damage done by Lithium and not due to an organic hypothyroidism is too much for a neighbor to suspect.

I had a little experiment looking for a simpler way to preserve confidentiality - I took a black Sharpie and tried to cover all the confidential information on my medication bottles. It did NOT work!

So I wrote the post (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Livin...70022196607489) and am pasting it below.

If somebody has an easier way than mine (peeling off labels every month is annoying), please share. Thanks!

Stigma is alive and well, so protecting the privacy of your medical information is key.

Before recycling or otherwise disposing of empty medication bottles, peel off the paper label and shred it. Note that even taking a Sharpie to go over your name, the name of the prescribing doctor, and the pharmacy information is not sufficient - the identifying info might still be visible because the marks left by a Sharpie are semi-transparent.

If you do not have a shredder, look for shredding events in your community, which are more often than not free.

Every paper record that is connected with your taking psychiatric medications or seeing a mental health professional MUST BE SHREDDED if you do not need it - that includes leaflets that often come with prescription drugs.