Discharge Instructions: Taking Medicine Safely

Safety tips

• Have a routine for taking each medicine. Make it part of something you do each day. Take your medicine after brushing your teeth. Or after eating a meal. Know which of your medicines need to be taken with food or on an empty stomach. Or without other medicines.

• Find help getting organized if you take a few medicines. A pill organizer is 1 idea. It can arrange all your medicines for the day. Or for a week at a time.

• When you have an appointment or need to be hospitalized, bring all your current medicines in their original boxes or bottles with you. Or bring an up-to-date list of your medicines that includes the dose and how often you take them. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements.

• Don't stop taking a prescription medicine unless your healthcare provider tells you to. Doing so could make your condition worse.

• Don't share medicines.

• Ask your provider about side effects with any new medicines. And when they should be reported.

• Let your healthcare provider and pharmacist know of any allergies you have.

• Don't take a nonprescription medicine without talking with your healthcare provider first. It can be harmful to take prescription medicines with other substances. These include alcohol, illegal drugs, herbs, and supplements. Or even some over-the-counter medicines. Talk with your provider or pharmacist before using any of these while taking a prescription medicine.

• Try using the same pharmacy for all your prescriptions. That may not be possible. If not, let each pharmacist know what medicines you are taking.

• Keep medicines out of the reach of children and pets. Never leave medicine on counters or table tops or in bathroom cabinets. If you take prescription pain medicines (for example, morphine, other opioids, or codeine), keep them in a locked cabinet or drawer.

• Keep medicines in a cool, dry, dark place. Don't put them in the bathroom. Or in the kitchen. There's too much moisture and heat there.

• Don't use medicine that has expired. And don't use medicine that doesn’t look or smell right.

• If a prescription re-fill looks different from the original (for example a different color or shape) don't use it until you have checked with the pharmacy to make certain there has not been a prescribing or dispensing error

• Learn how to safely dispose of your unused or expired medicines. Call your pharmacist or local law enforcement agency to find out how to safely get rid of medicines. Your community may have medicine drop-off locations. Some medicines may be safely flushed down the toilet. But some can't for safety reasons. Several times each year the FDA sponsors Drug Take Back days. This is the time when prescription medicines can be collected safely. See the FDA's website at www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know for medicine disposal safety tips.

• Medicine in a single-dose container should be used only 1 time. If you use the container a second time, it may have germs in it. These can cause illness. These illnesses include hepatitis B and C. They also include brain or spinal cord infections.

• When using liquid medicines, always use the dispensing tool that comes with the medicine. This is usually a syringe, a medicine cup, or a special spoon. Keep the dispensing tool with the medicine.

• Don’t take medicine in the dark. It's easy to make a mistake.

• When you travel, ask your doctor or pharmacist how to adjust for time or day changes. Carry a list of all the prescription drugs, OTC medicines, and supplements you take and the phone numbers of your doctors and pharmacists. Give your traveling companion a duplicate of this list. When flying, carry your medicines with you. For emergencies, always take enough medicine for an extra week.

• Ask the pharmacist where to store a medicine. For example, should it be kept in the refrigerator or kept at room temperature?

• Always check the label before leaving the pharmacy. The label on your medicine should have your name on it and the directions provided by your doctor. If it doesn’t, don’t take it, and talk with the pharmacist.

Names of medicines

Medicines have brand names and generic names. A medicine is sold only under its brand name when it's first made. It can later be made and sold as a generic. Generic medicines cost less than medicines with brand names. And most work just as well. Unless your healthcare provider says otherwise, most people can use the generic medicine. A common mistake is to take a generic and a brand name of the same medicine. Some people do this. They think they're different. This can lead to harmful reactions. This is also a good reason to bring all your prescriptions in their original bottles to your healthcare visits.