Medication Safety
Medicines are used to treat diseases, manage conditions, and relieve symptoms. Medicines are generally safe when used as prescribed or as directed on the label, but there are risks in taking any medicine. Each year in the United States, adverse drug events – harm resulting from medication use – cause more than one million visits to hospital emergency departments. Learning about medication safety can reduce and even prevent the risk of harm for you and your loved ones.1
Think about…
- Do you wear medical alert jewelry to help others help you?
- Are you storing medications properly and reviewing the expiration dates?
- Do you carry a list of your medications with you in case of emergency?
Resources…
- Talk to your doctor, using a process of shared decision making when you are unsure about a prescription or need guidance.
- Learn more about potential side effects from Consumer Med Safety.org and Consumer Reports.
1 CDC:Medication Safety Program https://www.cdc.gov/medicationsafety/index.html
