The first and most important step in using medications properly is to educate yourself about the drugs you use and the conditions they are intended to treat. When taken properly, medications can help if they are taken exactly as directed by your doctor or pharmacist.

Here are basic guidelines for keeping your medications safe and effective:

1. Talk with your health care professional before using any medications for the first time. Before you leave your health care professional’s office, ask questions to make sure you know why you are taking the prescription, exactly when and how to take it, and any possible side effects. Inform your health care provider of any allergies or adverse medication reactions you have experienced. Tell your physician or pharmacist if you are pregnant, nursing, or trying to become pregnant.

2. Discuss cost with your physician. If you cannot afford the medication, your physician may be able to offer alternatives.

3. Discuss all of the medications and supplements you are taking with your health care professional or pharmacist to determine if there are any potential problems:

• Some medications can interact with each other —even over-the-counter non-prescription drugs, such as cold remedies, vitamins, herbal and homeopathic products.

• Certain foods, for example grapefruit, dairy foods and beverages (particularly alcohol), can interact with medications.

• Talk with your pharmacist when you purchase prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. Your pharmacist can answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Click here to download a convenient Pocket Medication Record you can fill out and carry with you. (PDF)

4. Read and follow use and storage instructions on the label. Dampness and heat, such as found in a bathroom medicine cabinet, can shorten the shelf life of some medicines.

• Take medications only as directed.

• Do not use or share medications prescribed by a health care professional for someone else.

• Read the label correctly and follow all instructions for when and how to take your medication.

5. Take the correct amount of medication.

• Do not take more or less than the label indicates.

• Do not give adult doses to children or guess the dose you should give to a child. Instead, ask your pharmacist or physician for the correct medication and dose.

6. Annually clean out your “Medicine Cabinet.”

• Safely dispose of all unwanted medicines. For tips, see Disposing Old Medications at: http://www.med.umich.edu/sms/MedicationDisposal.pdf

• Remove all items and check expiration dates. Throw away expired medications using a safe disposal method. If you’re not sure when a certain item expires, call your pharmacist and ask about the shelf life for that medication.

• If medications are not in original containers or the labels are unclear, throw them away! It is dangerous to store medicines in anything but their original containers. (For example, some medicines come in tinted glass bottles because exposure to light may cause them to deteriorate.)

• Discard old tubes of cream that have become hardened or cracked.

• Throw out any liquid medicines that appear cloudy or filmy.

Every medication is a potential poison. If there are children in the house, keep all medicines and vitamins locked in a high cabinet, well out of their reach.

WARNING
Purchasing a medication from an illegal Web site puts you at risk. You may receive a contaminated or counterfeit product, the wrong product, an incorrect dose, or no medication at all.