About 30 to 50 percent of those who take medicines at home do not use them as directed, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health. This leads to more doctor visits, hospital stays, lost wages and changed prescriptions. All this costs Americans more than $100 billion each year.
Read MoreQ: What is the best way to dispose of expired or unwanted medications from our home medicine cabinet?
Read MoreOne of the most important things you can do to take care of yourself is to take your doctor’s advice and take your medicine as prescribed. This is sometimes easier said than done. This is especially true if one needs to take many different medications at different times of the day.
Read MoreExpired medications can be less effective or even risky due to a change in chemical composition or a decrease in strength. Also, certain expired medications are at risk of bacterial growth. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is very clear: If a medicine is expired, you shouldn’t use it.
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