Medication Safety 101
There are three primary components of medication safety: dosing, storage, and disposal. Welcome to Medication Safety 101, where we explore strategies to support medication safety from dosing to disposal.
Medication Dosing
One of the most common dosing errors occurs when measuring out liquid medications like cough syrup. To ensure safe dosing, liquid medicines should be measured using milliliters (mL), NOT spoonfuls (CDC, 2020). Measuring using teaspoons (or worse, dining spoons) can result in significant dosing errors, particularly for children’s medicines. Instead of reaching for a spoon, ask your pharmacist for a dosing device such as a syringe or dosing cup. The CDC (2020) also recommends double-checking the dose listed on your medication before taking it. If you have questions about your medication dosing, always contact your pharmacist or doctor for clarification.
Medication Storage
Just as important as correct dosing, proper medication storage plays an important role in safe medication usage. Medication should be stored in a safe place, and should be out of reach of children (CDC, 2020). If you do have children in the home, storing medication in a high cupboard out of reach or using child locks (or both) is an excellent way to prevent children from accessing medicines. Remember to store medications safely when traveling, too - such as within the free safe provided by most hotels. Medication should always be returned to the proper storage area after use.
After using a medication, take the time to double-check that the safety lock has been properly closed. As individuals age, it can be easy to forget whether or not you have taken your medication. If you have difficulty remembering whether you’ve taken your medication, it might be worth exploring timed medication dispensers or timer bottle caps. Timer bottle caps display how long it’s been since you last opened the medication bottle, and can be purchased online or through some pharmacies.
Medication Disposal
Unused or expired medications should be properly disposed of to prevent environmental contamination and substance misuse. According to the FDA (n.d.), the best way to dispose of medications is through a drug take back program. Prior to using a drug take back program, be sure to remove personal information from your prescription bottles. Many pharmacies offer medication drop-off boxes, and you can search MED-Project’s database here to find the one closest to you. *Note: You cannot dispose of herbal supplements in medication drop-off boxes.
If you are not able to access a drug take back program, some medications can be thrown away. According to the CDC (2020), in order to throw medications away in your household trash, you should remove drugs from their original containers and mix them with something undesirable (cat litter, coffee grounds, dirt etc.). Then put the mixture into something you can seal like a plastic bag or other container to minimize spillage. This option creates significantly more waste, and we always encourage patients to use a drug take back program if it’s an accessible option.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, February 28). Protect your children: Store & use medicines safely. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/patientsafety/features/safe-medicine-children.html
FDA. (n.d.). Where and how to dispose of unused medicines. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved December 22, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines