Storing of Medicine and Safety Measures

STORING OF MEDICINE AND SAFETY MEASURES

·           Most medications should be stored in a dry place away from heat and humidity.

·           If the medication needs to be protected from light, it should be stored in a container that keeps out light.

·           If the medication needs to be refrigerated, and you do not have a fridge available, use a cooler with an ice pack.

·           Keep track of the expiry dates of the medications by asking the pharmacy team to put this information on your medication vial.

·            Don’t store multiple medications in the same vial, as this makes it hard to keep tracing of which medications are which, which doses have been taken, and what are the expiry dates.

·           Put all medicine up and away, out of children’s reach and sight.

·           Close your medicine caps tightly after every use.

·           Choose child-resistant caps for medicine bottles. If pill boxes or non-child resistant caps are the only option, it’s even more important to store these containers up high and out of sight when caring for kids.

How to administer medicine Safely

·           Use the dosing device that comes with the medicine. Proper dosing is important, particularly for young children.

·           Kitchen spoons aren’t all the same, and a teaspoon or tablespoon used for cooking won’t measure the same amount as the dosing device.

·           Keep all medicine in their original packages and containers.

·            Take the time to read the label and follow the directions. Even if you have used the medicine before, sometimes the directions change about how much medicine to give.

·           Even if your child seems really sick, don’t give more medicine than the label says. It won’t help your child feel better faster, and it may cause harm.

·           Read the label and know what’s in the medicine. Check the active ingredients listed on the label.

·           Make sure you don’t give your child more than one medicine with the same active ingredient, because it puts your child at risk for an overdose.

Get Rid of Medicine Safely

·           Clean out your medicine cabinet. Reduce the risk of kids getting into medicine by getting rid of unused or expired medicine.

·           Many communities have a medicine take-back program. This is an easy way to get rid of your unused or expired medicine.

·            To dispose of it yourself, pour the medicine into a sealable plastic bag. If the medicine is a pill, add water to dissolve it. Then add kitty litter, sawdust or coffee grounds to the plastic bag.

·            The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that the drugs which are so dangerous , should be flushed down the toilet.