The Most Important Medication Safety Tips for When Children Are Around

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(Newswire.net — March 17, 2020) — When your doctor prescribes a certain medication, you know it’s for a good reason: to improve your health. While that’s what medications do most often, they can be dangerous if you’re not careful.

Each day, about 160 kids end up in the hospital after getting into medicines they weren’t supposed to take.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to keep your kids safe. Here are some of the top medication safety tips to implement at your home now.

Keep All Medications Out of Reach

Kids are curious all the time. This means they’re likely to mess with anything they can reach just to see what it is. When that item is a toy or something harmless, it’s fine, but when it’s medication, it can put your child’s safety at risk.

Keep all medications out of reach until your child is old enough to understand how to use medication properly.

Try to find places where the medication isn’t in plain sight. Medicine cabinets, the top shelves of linen closets, or even kitchen cabinets are all great storage spots. Remember, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.

Don’t Forget About Over-the-Counter Medicines

Unfortunately, many of the items you use every day can pose a major safety risk for your child. Things like vitamins and supplements, cold medicine, cough syrup, and decongestants can be dangerous if they’re not used properly.

Keep those items in the same place as your prescription medications. This way, you’ll know where they are at all times and your child won’t feel tempted to get into them when you’re not looking

Discuss Each Medication with Your Pharmacist

According to this helpful article, pharmacists are your best resource for understanding how a medication will work. Use this to your advantage.

Before you bring a new medication home, talk about the possible side effects of that medication. Your pharmacist will be able to explain the common side effects and how the medicine will make your child feel. They can also make recommendations on how to give the medicine to your child without diluting the medication itself.

If possible, try to keep a list of the medications your child is using at any given time. Bring this list with you to the pharmacy so you can discuss possible drug interactions.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s your pharmacist’s job to make sure you understand how to properly use each medication they give you. If anything is unclear or you have ongoing concerns, get the answers you need before you leave.

Dose Correctly and Keep Track of Each Dose

Anytime you measure out a dose of medicine for your child, double-check the bottle to make sure you’re giving the correct amount. This is especially important if you’re administering more than one medication at a time.

Once you give a dose, keep track of when you gave it. Missing doses can be just as problematic as giving too much medicine at once.

Make a chart of each medicine your child takes and add a sticker or tally mark for each dose. Put it on the refrigerator in the kitchen or tape it on the mirror in the bathroom where it won’t get lost or thrown out.

You can even get your child involved by letting them place the sticker or draw the tally marks. This can make getting their medicine at least a little more exciting.

Talk to Your Child About the Dangers

Once your child is old enough to understand that medications can be dangerous, talk to them about it. Let them know that some drugs can hurt them or even kill them if they’re not careful.

If they ask why some bottles are out of reach, explain that they’re not safe for kids to use. Encourage your child to discuss how they’re feeling with you before ever reaching for over-the-counter medicine.

As they get older, show them how to use those medicines the right way. Go over how to read dosage labels and show them how much they should take and when they should take it.

Always Supervise Medication Use

Even when children think they’re following the directions, accidents can and will happen. That’s why you should always supervise medication use, even when they’re capable of using the right amount on their own.

This way, you’ll be able to monitor exactly how much they’re taking and how often they’re taking it. You’ll be able to catch underdosing before it impacts their recovery and can prevent possible overdoses from happening.

Never Dispose of Medication in the Trash

Getting rid of expired medication is an absolute must. Otherwise, you and your family could end up taking something that can hurt your health. However, there’s a right and a wrong way to get rid of that medication.

Instead of throwing old medicine in the trash or flushing it down the toilet, take it to a designated medication drop-off location. Most pharmacies have safe disposal locations inside or can refer you to a safe drop-off point.

This helps keep expired and dangerous medicine away from kids and keeps everyone safer.

Read Up on the Ingredients

Before you give your child anything, make sure you know what each medicine does. For example, if you’ve given your child a cold medicine with a pain reliever in addition to a cough suppressant, don’t give them more pain reliever an hour later.

If you’re not sure whether it’s safe to mix two medications, don’t. Call your pharmacist and check with them before you administer a dose.

Follow These Medication Safety Tips

As a parent, you’ll do anything to keep your child safe. Though there are some risks you can’t protect them from, you can always protect them from unsafe medication use.

Use these medication safety tips to protect your kids and prevent the improper use of medicine while they’re young.

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