How to Store Prescription Medications at Home

It is important to safely store prescription medications, not only for the health of the person taking the medications, but also for the health of other people in the household, including children who could get into the pills. Pets can also be harmed by prescription medications if they are not stored properly.

Things You'll Need

• Medicine cabinet

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Instructions

• 1

  Read the label. Prescription medication labels will provide information on special storage instructions, such as if the medication needs to be refrigerated. Follow directions for proper storage and pay attention to expiration dates, as expired prescriptions can be harmful or may not work like they are supposed to if they have expired.

• 2

  Store your pills in their original containers. This will help ensure that the right dosage is noted and that the pills have not expired. If there are children in the house, it is important to request that the pharmacy use bottles with child-proof lids on them.

• 3

  Keep medications that do not need special treatment (like refrigeration) in a medicine cabinet. Medicine cabinets are usually out of reach of little hands and this also ensures that pets don't get into them. It is important to never leave pills, in or out of the container, lying around the house.

• 4

  Write down your medications and the dosage for each. "AGIS.com" (See reference) recommends that people keep a list of all of their medications. This is good to have at doctors appointments and to keep track of medications that may have lost their labels.