Did you know that each year approximately 60,000 children are treated in the hospital emergency department due to unintentional medication poisoning? That’s four school busloads of children in the hospital every day! Medication theft is also a concern for many families, and many young people begin abusing prescription drugs with items found in the medicine cabinet at their own home.
With summer in full swing, your children may be home more often, and it’s important to keep safe medication practices in mind. Follow these tips to protect your family:
- Educate your family and children on the importance of medication safety.
- Store medications in a safe and secure location that is not easily accessible or visible to children. Clermont County Public Health can provide residents with a locking medication storage container. Call 513-735-8400 to learn more.
- Never leave medications out on the kitchen counter or at the bedside.
- Always replace the medicine bottle’s safety cap by twisting until you hear the “click.”
- Remind babysitters and houseguests to keep their purses and bags that contain medicine up and out of sight when they’re in your home.
- Monitor your medications regularly to verify they are all accounted for and not expired.
- Dispose of unused or expired medication properly in a drug drop box or by using a drug deactivation product such as Deterra. Click here for a list of permanent drug drop box locations.
- Keep the Poison Control Center phone number (800-222-1222) posted in a convenient location in your home or save it in your cell phone, and call right away if you think your child might have gotten into medicine, even if you aren’t sure.
To learn more about medication safety visit the following resources:
- https://www.upandaway.org/
- https://www.knowyourotcs.org/
- http://www.scholastic.com/otcmedsafety/parents/
- https://www.safekids.org/medication-safety-0
