You’re body is feeling achy, congested, and the headache intensifies each passing minute. The flu symptoms don’t seem to subside aside from taking Alka-Seltzer two hours ago. Before reaching into the medicine cabinet and grabbing an Aspirin to relieve aches and pains, think twice as you may be double dosing.

It's overwhelming to see over thirty bottles of unused prescriptions piling up in your medicine cabinet. Expired and unused pills serve little purpose other than to decorate your cabinet and clutter useful space. One may be tempted to take a large garbage bag and “dump away” all these unwanted drugs. So what is the proper way of discarding unwanted prescriptions? Aside from environmental factors, there are other concerns and safety precautions involved in medication dumping.  

Here are some Tips to consider before disposing medications: 

1. Read prescription labels for disposal instructions. Many pill bottles provide medication disposal instructions printed on the label. If you have difficulty finding this information on the label, take the container to the pharmacy for further assistance and instructions. 

2. Inquire with your city or pharmacy on “take-back” programs available. These are centers where individuals bring medications for proper disposal.

Below are five essential safety tips to consider when taking anticoagulants or blood thinners. By understanding the role of blood thinners and the adverse effects, it alerts individuals to adverse reactions requiring medical attention. Commonly prescribed blood thinners include Coumadin, Heparin, Lovenox (Low-molecular weight heparin), Aggrenox, Xarelto, and others. Physicians may prescribe blood thinners as a preventative measure, or as part of a treatment plan for individuals prone to clot formation. With this understanding, let's review some safety tips to keep mind when taking blood thinners!

The New England Journal of Medicine reports in their article, Saxagliptin and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, reports a randomized study on the effects of Onglyza (Saxagliptin) in diabetic patients with a history of established vascular disease. The study was conducted over a period of 2 years in 16,500 Type 2 diabetic patients from 26 countries.