MUST - A National Education Campaign for Older Adults and Caregivers
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Acetaminophen Safe Use
Be Medicine Smart

Be Medicine Smart You have a lot of information at your fingertips to help you use medicines safely. The Drug Facts Label on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines package or bottle is the best places to start. It presents:

  • Active ingredients (the ingredients in the medication that makes it work)
  • Uses
  • Warnings
  • Directions
  • Storage or other information
  • Inactive ingredients

Make a habit of checking the label when selecting a non-prescription medicine and again each time before you take it.

Reading the label will help you:

  • decide if you have chosen the right medicine for your symptoms
  • understand the dosing instructions
  • be aware of any medicine warning that might apply to you.

Learn more about how to read the Drug Facts Label here.

Other tools available to help you be “Medicine Smart” and take your medicines safely include:

  • the patient medicine information (PMI) sheet included with every prescription
  • your healthcare professionals, including your pharmacist
  • medicine resources such as those that list drug interactions
  • you and your family.

Even though OTC medicines are readily available, it’s important to remember they are serious medicines that need to be taken and managed with care.