Lock medicines in a secure location. With young children, keeping all medicine out of reach is essential to prevent unintentional drug poisoning. As children get older, medicine should continue to be kept in a secure location. Many pharmacies sell a variety of lock boxes that adapt to your specific needs (e.g. for the refrigerator, portable, big or small).

Monitor your medicine supply. Know what and how much you have so you will notice if any is missing. Keeping all medicines in one place makes tracking easier.

Talk with friends and family about their safe storage practices. The majority of misuse includes obtaining drugs from a friend or relative’s medicine cabinet.

Dispose of medications safely. Take Meds Seriously offers safe drop off locations across Colorado in order to prevent misuse and to protect our environment and wildlife. Disposing of unused or expired medications in a timely and safe manner is doing your small part for addiction prevention. It takes a village.

Be aware of medicine’s role in suicide. In Colorado from 2004-2015, the third most common method for suicide completions among 10-24 year olds was poisoning. For suicide attempts among youth and young adults in Colorado from 2010-14, drug overdose/poisoning is the most common method. These statistics underscore the importance of safe storage and disposal to prevent a variety of types of injuries, including death.

For more information and resources about prescription drug safety, visit takemedsseriously.org