Lock up your medicines to protect children and teens this holiday season
The holiday season brings guests of all ages into your home, so it’s an especially important time to make sure your medications are locked away safely in order to prevent accidental poisonings in children and misuse by teens. Hospitalizations and even deaths from medications meant for someone else are growing problems among kids and teens, and FDA has a Web page containing resources that can help you learn how to protect your loved ones during the holidays and every day. Visit the page and watch Lock it Up: Medicine Safety in Your Home, a video that explains how easily children and teenagers can get into medications that can be dangerous and how to lock them up securely.
Each year, thousands of children and teens are hospitalized because they’ve taken medications that have not been properly secured. A child may discover a pill box or a package of cold medicine on a bathroom counter, or a teenager may take pills out of a medicine cabinet or a purse to experiment with or share with friends. Tragically, these scenarios are not uncommon, but they can be prevented.
In addition to the Lock it Up video, FDA’s Ensuring Safe Use of Medicines Web site contains other helpful materials such as articles, tips, and links to additional educational resources to help you keep and use medicines safely. Protect your loved ones this holiday season by locking away your prescription and over-the-counter medications before they wind up in the wrong hands. It’s a small step that can save a life.
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