Learn to Swallow Pills
It may be easier than you think to learn how to take pills or to teach children how to take pills.
Learn MoreSafe Medicine Patch Disposal
Some medicines come in patches that you apply to your skin. Examples include: NicoDerm CQ (nicotine), used to quit smoking; Climara (estradiol), used to treat symptoms of menopause; and fentanyl, a powerful medicine used to relieve serious, long-term pain. Patches are designed to give a constant amount of medicine over a certain period of time, usually several days. New patches contain lots of medicine, but used patches can still contain medicine after you take them off. Both new and used patches can be dangerous for children or pets.
Learn MoreDo Not Warm Your Patches!
Some medicines are supplied in patches that you apply to your skin. The medicine reaches your body by going through the blood vessels in your skin. If you warm your skin, it gets red because the blood vessels widen. The wider your blood vessels are, the more medicine your body absorbs. Warming your skin with heating pads or with lots of physical activity can cause too much medicine in the patch to be absorbed. This is especially dangerous when using patches that relieve pain.
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