Medication safety affects everyone.
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs are used by Canadians to fight illness, treat or manage chronic medical conditions, and help maintain health (e.g., antibiotics, blood pressure pills, and vitamins). For medicine to help, the right medicine needs to be taken at the right time, by the right person, for the right reason.
Sometimes, even if we follow directions from our doctor or pharmacist, we will have some medicine left-over. When that happens, the left-over medicine can end up sitting in a medicine cabinet. Keeping left-over or expired medication around the house greatly increases the risk of unintentional injuries and poisoning, especially among younger children and older adults, and intentional abuse.
Improve medicine safety in our community and participate in this year’s medicine cabinet clean out event. By giving your old and unused medicines from your home to your pharmacist, you will also be protecting the environment. Pharmacies have a program for safe disposal of medicines.
Speak to your pharmacist or call or email the nurse coordinating this year’s medicine cabinet clean out campaign to learn how to prevent intentional and unintentional injury and death related to medicines (e.g., prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including vitamins and herbals and safely dispose of medicines in your home).
In addition click on the links below to learn more about medicine safety.
2009 Medicine Cabinet Clean Out Campaign links:
2008 Medicine Cabinet Clean Out Campaign Results:
Judy Palesh, Public Health Nurse, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Coordinator of Medicine Cabinet Clean Out Campaign.
Tel - 519-258-2146 ext. 3138 or e-mail - jpalesh@wechealthunit.org
Here is a list of organizations that provide medicine safety information.
