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(HealthNewsDigest.com)-To ensure you have a well-supplied and child-safe medicine cabinet, Dr. Joshua Riff, Target Medical Director, has these helpful hints:
Many minor illnesses and in-juries can be treated at home but when in doubt, call your physician. Check over-the-counter labels for warnings about drug interactions, side effects and pre-existing conditions and ask your doctor whether the medications are safe for you.
Storage and Cleanup
The location of your medicine cabinet is critical. It should have consistent room temperature and no direct sunlight. Hot and humid rooms can cause certain medications to break down. Consider a high shelf in the linen closet or a high cabinet to keep items out of children’s reach.
Clean your cabinet at least once a year to avoid germs and spills.
Discard medication that is expired or in damaged containers. This is especially true for antibiotics or narcotics. Many children present to the ER every year due to accidental ingestion of expired medications. To discard medication, grind up the pills and mix them with coffee grinds before putting them in the garbage. Your doctor’s office may also discard them for you.
Consider cleaning your parents’ and grandparents’ cabinet. Medication accidents are more common in the elderly, and eliminating old medications and ensuring proper organization is an important step.
Read Labels Clearly
Misreading medicine labels can lead to an accidental overdose. Be sure both the medication and prescription strength you get are the same as your doctor prescribed, especially with children’s medication. If you have any questions about your medications and possible interactions, you can ask your physician or pharmacist.
Prescription bottles such as ClearRX, from Target Pharmacy, make reading and understanding labels easy. With bigger type, the wide label provides room for cautionary information and color-coded ID rings for each family member to prevent mix-ups. An easily accessible patient information card and handy label magnifier are tucked behind each prescription label.
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