3 Ways to Make Medications Safer

Hi, I'm Dr. Kevin Soden. Are you taking your medications correctly? A surprising number of people don't. In one recent study, 70% of parents gave little kids the wrong dose of liquid medicine. Other research shows that 2/3 of adults don't finish their prescriptions and plenty skip refills of important meds for ongoing conditions including heart disease and diabetes.

That can be dangerous. Here's how to get the right stuff at any age. For kids, measure liquid meds with an oral medication syringe, suck up the right dose and gently squirt small amounts between your child's gum and cheek so he or she can swallow comfortably. For teens, talk about OTCs.

Most teens didn't know the basics about drug store safety. Read labels and dosage directions with your teens, and discuss the dangers of over doing it, like liver damage from too much to [xx[ and gas to intestinal bleeding from too much [xx], profin or aspirin. For adults, refill my mail.

One study has found that using male auto pharmacist led to fewer gaps in medication usage. For more ways to protect your family's health, watch all our smart tips, right here.