April 2015

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year one of every 150 two-year-olds visits an emergency department in the U.S. for an unintentional medication overdose, most often after finding and eating or drinking medicines without adult supervision. To help protect children:

• Ask for safety caps at the pharmacy counter when filling a prescription.
• Find a storage place too high for a child to reach or see.
• Put medicines and vitamins away every time you use them. Never leave them out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child’s bedside, even if you have to give the medicine again in a few hours.
• Make sure the safety cap is locked. If the medicine has a locking cap that turns, twist it until the click is heard.
• Teach children about medicine safety. Never tell children that medicine is candy to get them to take it, even if the child does not like to take medicine.
• Ask visitors to keep purses, bags or coats that have medicines in them up and out of sight when they are visiting.
• Be prepared. Program the poison control number into all phones (800-222-1222).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention