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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Medication Safety

Medicine is the leading cause of child poisoning. Unintentional medication poisonings and medication safety have been a continuous public health issue for years. Most accidental ingestions and exposures to medication occur to children under 6 years of age; research from Safe Kids Worldwide shows that unauthorized, accidental ingestions of medicine account for more than 90 percent of emergency department (ED) visits for children under the age of 5.

Safety Tips

  • Keep all medication, vitamins, and supplements out of reach and out of sight.
    • In a Safe Kids national survey, 7 in 10 parents said they keep medicine where their child can still see it.
    • Consider purchasing a medication safety lock bag or box to provide extra security.
  • Put medicine away after every use, even if you need to give another dose in a few hours.
  • Be a model for responsible medicine use.
    • Teach children that medicine should always be given by an adult.
  • Do not refer to medicine as candy, which could encourage children to take medicine on their own.
  • Nearly 30 percent of child poisonings involve a grandparent’s medication
  • Use only the dosing device that comes with liquid medicine, not a kitchen spoon.
    • Read and follow the label. Do not give your child more than one medicine at a time with the same type of active ingredient.
  • When other caregivers are giving your child medicine, give clear instructions about what type of medicine to give, how much to give and when to give it. 
  • Keep visitors’ purses, bags and coats out of the read of children, as it could contain medicine.
  • When taking your child play at a friend’s home, ask that all medications and vitamins are stored safely out of reach and out of sight.
  • Remember to safely dispose of unused or expired medication.
    • Ask your local pharmacy about where to safely dispose of medication.
    • US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a “flush list” of drugs that should be flushed down the toilet if they are no longer needed and cannot be immediately taken to a drug take back program, including:
      • Fentanyl, buprenorphine and oxycodone
    • The FDA advises that most medicines not on the flush list can be safely disposed of in the trash at home by mixing medicine with an unappealing substance, such as coffee grounds or cat litter, sealing the mixture in a plastic bag and disposing in the trash at home.
  • FDA flush list
  • Save the Poison Help phone number in your phone: 1-800-222-1222.