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Home > Medication safety > What you can do > How you can help prevent drug abuse
What you can do
How you can help prevent drug abuse
Here are a few simple steps we can all take to help prevent prescription and over-thecounter medicines from falling into the wrong hands:- Safeguard all medications at home. Keep pharmaceuticals hidden and out of reach. Monitor how much you have and control who has access to these medicines.
- Follow your medical provider’s advice and dosages, and do not share prescription medicine.
- Properly conceal and dispose of old or unused medicines in the trash.
According to the Office of National Drug Policy, you should take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers and mix them with undesirable substances, such as used coffee grounds or cat litter, and put them in empty cans or sealable bags before discarding them in the trash. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs you to do so. Unopened medicines may sometimes be returned to the pharmacy. - Ask friends and family to safeguard their prescription drugs as well.
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