Health Topics for Personal Safety

Department of Emergency Medicine

Emergency Medical Services Learning Resources Center

Medicines

Medicines are a great benefit to our lives. They may relieve pain or cure illness. However, it is important to use medicines as directed. Many may be very dangerous if used improperly.

Follow these precautions:

• Take prescription medications only if they were prescribed to you personally. Never take someone else's medicine. Carefully follow the label instructions. Check with your pharmacist or healthcare provider if you have any questions.
• Make sure that your healthcare provider knows about all of the medications you take. This includes over-the-counter medicines, herbs, and nutrition supplements. Some medications are ineffective or have dangerous side effects when taken with other medications.
• Throw out old medications you are no longer using. A good way is to flush them down the toilet. Also throw out any medication if you can no longer read its label.
• Never mix different medications in the same container.
• Use child-resistant caps on all medicine containers.
• Keep medications locked up in a cabinet.
• Do not try to get a child to take his medicine by telling him it "tastes good" or that it "is like candy." Some non-prescription medicines that indeed do taste good are dangerous when taken in large quantities. Some examples are aspirin and vitamin pills with iron.
• If you need your glasses to read, make sure you have them on when taking medicine. This way you can be sure you have the right medicine. For the same reason, be sure to turn on the light when taking medicine at night.
• If you think that a particular medicine is not working, contact your healthcare provider right away. Also let him or her know if it makes you feel funny, or if it is causing an unexpected or unpleasant side effect.
• Do not increase or decrease the dose of any prescription medicine unless approved by the healthcare provider who prescribed the medicine. Do not stop taking any prescription medicine unless the doctor tells you.
• Keep the phone number of your poison-control center posted near the phone. You can call them with any questions about medications, their effects, or about overdoses or accidental poisonings. If you do not have a local or state number, call 911 for emergency help.
• When you refill a prescription, ask your pharmacist to explain any medicine differences before you take medicine that looks different in color, size, or shape.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking medicines. The use of alcohol may increase side effects.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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