Safely securing and disposing of unused or expired medications eliminates an unnecessary risk in the home, especially if children are present. Safely Securing Prescription Medications Never share medications with family members or friends. If guests will be in your home, place prescription medications in a medication lockbox. Keep all medications out of reach of children…

Specialty pharmacies handle medications that are given by infusion, injection or orally. These medications traditionally cost more than prescription medications, have special storage and handling requirements and need to be administered on a strict schedule. Patients, being treated for pain, may be prescribed higher dosages of opioids and opioid “rescue medications” that will require a…

Naloxone is the most important item in a caregiver’s toolbox when there is an opioid prescription in the home. When a loved one is prescribed an opioid to help manage the unique pain from cancer treatments, the disease itself or another chronic illness, a naloxone kit should also be ordered by the prescribing physician. Naloxone…

Medical Reference Tarascon Palliative Medicine Pocketbook. Bates D. Moses, MD, Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2014 Oxford American Handbook of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care. Sriram Yennurajalingam, MD and Eduardo Bruera, MD, Oxford University Press, 2016 Palliative Care and Ethics. Edited by Timothy E. Quill and Franklin G. Miller, Oxford University Press, 2014 Prescription…

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