Medication Safety and Storage

Medication Storage

• Store all medication and vitamins in a high, locked cabinet out of children's reach or in a locked container.
• Consider buying a small safe or lock box to lock up all medicines.
• Keep medicine in the original labeled container.
• Keep medication containers tightly capped and store in a DARK, DRY place (NOT in the bathroom or above the kitchen sink).
• Remind babysitters, grandparents, or other visitors to keep purses, bags, or jackets that have medicines in them away from children’s reach.

Safety Tips

• Refer to the medicine by name. Never refer to medicine as “candy.”
• The phone number for the NATIONAL POISON CONTROL CENTER is 1-800-222-1222.
• Do not give medicines to anyone other than the person for whom it was ordered.
• Do not give over-the-counter medicines without checking with your child's doctor or pharmacist about medicine interactions. Do not stop giving the prescribed medicine or change the amount given without first talking with your child's doctor.
• If your child goes to an Emergency Room or sees a new doctor, take a list of your child’s medications including the name, spelling, & dosage of each medication. Or, take the medicines in their original containers.
• Give your child's teachers, school nurse, coach, and babysitter a list of his/her current medications.

Medication Disposal

• Do not keep any medicines after the expiration date. Once a year, do a “medicine chest spring cleaning.” Throw out medicine if:
  • It was prescribed for an illness that is now over.
  • Your child's doctor told you to stop giving it.
  • It has an expiration date that has passed.
  • It does not have a label.
• You can also ask your pharmacist if your unused medications should be flushed. 

Importance of Refills

Always make sure you have enough medicine and you do not run out.

• Have the medicine refilled before the last dose.
• Refill the medicine before you go on vacation. Remember to carry the medicine with you. Do NOT pack it in your suitcase as it may get lost or misplaced.
• Plan ahead for weekends and holidays by checking to make sure you have enough medicine.
• Call your child's doctor during normal business hours for refills.

Things to Remember

• Wash and dry your hands before handling medicine.
• Read the label before giving any medicine.
• Give the exact amount ordered by your child's doctor.
• Stay with your child until all the medicine has been taken.
• Learn and write down the name, spelling, and dosage of your child's medicines. You will need to have this list with you to give to doctors in the future.