Know Your Medicine - At Home

•- Keep your Medicine List updated.

•- Take only the medicine given to you by your physician or pharmacist. Do not share other people’s medicine.

•- Each time you take your medicine, read the label to make sure you are taking it correctly. If you have questions, call your physician or pharmacist.
• Never take medicine in the dark.

•- Do not stop taking the medicine just because you feel better unless your physician tells you to stop taking it.

•- Do not take your medicine out of one bottle and put it in another one.

-• Put all of your medicine in a place where children and pets cannot reach it.

•- If you take medicine each day, using a compartmental medication box may be helpful.

-• Do not keep medicine in the car, by the stove, or in the bathroom, since heat and dampness can affect how it works.

•- Check the date on all medicine.Throw away all medicine if it is expired or no onger needed. (If no expiration date exists on a prescription,consider it expired if you received it more than one year ago.)

•- If you feel that any medicine is making you sick or causing you pain, call your physician right away.

Know Your Medicine - Keep a Medicine List

Keep your own list of the medicines you take, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements. Your hospital, clinic or pharmacy may provide a form you can use; you can also find one provided by the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety, called My Medicine List, at www.mnpatientsafety.org or by calling (651) 641-1121. Or you can get started by just writing down a list of the different medicines you take on a blank piece of paper. When you share this list with physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other providers, it gives them the facts they need to help you stay healthy. Your Medicine List will help them make sure your mix of medications is right for you. Creating your own Medicine List— and keeping it up-to-date is a simple step that you can take to help ensure your own health and safety.