Smart Drug Use

Safely Using OTC and Prescription Medications

Safely using prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications is one way to avoid trips to the emergency department. Everyone knows that overdoses are dangerous; taking too much of any medication can have a negative effect. However, taking too little medication -- underdosing -- doesn't help either. Follow these tips to safely get the most out of your medications.

• Follow directions when you give or take medicines and read the warning labels. Medications often interact with each other and warning labels should tell you about known interactions.

• Keep the lights on. When taking or giving medications at night, don't work in the dark. Turn the lights are on so you can see what you're doing.

• Leave medicines in the original bottles with the labels clearly visible. If the printing on the label is hard to read, tape a note to the bottle with the name of the medication, but don't cover the original labels. Emergency crews may need to read your bottles at some point.

• Prescription drugs are only for the person who received the prescription. Don't sell or give away your prescription drugs, and don't take other people's prescription medication. Besides being dangerous, it's illegal.

• Store narcotic pain medications, such as Vicodin, methadone and Oxycontin, in a safe place away from kids. If you're concerned that others in the home may take too many of these medications, it may be a good idea to keep them locked away.

• Carefully monitor medications used for behavioral disorders, especially for kids and teens. These may also need to be locked.

• Don't flush medications and be careful of disposing narcotic pain relievers. Those addicted to drugs will look for discarded narcotics. Rather than throw them away, return unused medications to the pharmacy.

• Keep a list of all medications taken by each member of the family. Include the name of the medication (watch the spelling), the dose and how often it is taken. Give this list to healthcare providers. This is especially useful in an emergency when some medications are locked up.

Take special precautions if you have young children around.

• Put the poison control number, 1-800-222-1222, on or near every home telephone and save it on your cell phone. There is someone available around the clock to answer questions about potential overdoses and poisonings.

• Store all drugs in childproof cabinets that little kids can't reach.

• Don't take your medications in front of kids. They want to be like you and often copy adults.

• Never tell children that medicines or vitamins are candy.

• Beware of drugs, legal or illegal, that guests bring into your home. Don't let visitors leave drugs where kids can find them, which includes pill boxes, medicine organizers or purses. Long-term guests should store their medicines in the same place you do.

• Never leave the next dose of medication -- yours or theirs -- where kids can reach it.

• Never leave kids alone with drugs. If you are taking medicine and you are interrupted, like to answer the door or the phone, take little kids with you or put away the drugs first.

• When visiting grandparents, keep an eye out for medications on counters or otherwise accessible to kids. Ask grandparents to put their medications away when you bring the grandkids over.

Source:

"Tips to Prevent Poisonings." 5 Dec 2006. National center for injury prevention and control. CDC. 30 Jan 2008