What you can do to safely manage your medications

You play a critical role in ensuring your safety while taking opioids. Your doctor and pharmacist can't help you stay safe if they don't have complete and current information about all your medications.

Take these steps with your health care providers:

• Tell all of your providers about all of the drugs you're taking. Opioids interact dangerously with many medications. For example, combining opioids with medications used to treat anxiety or sleep issues can be very harmful, or even deadly.

  If you see different doctors, each of them needs to be aware of all the medication you're taking — including over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, allergy medicine and nutritional supplements. Be honest about your alcohol use and any illegal substances you use.

• Order all your medications through the same pharmacy whenever possible. The pharmacy has systems in place that alert pharmacists to potentially dangerous interactions between the drugs you're taking.
• Read the instructions and warnings on the drug safety information sheet stapled to your prescription. These instructions notify you about potential side effects and help you understand how to check your response to the medication.
• Report side effects to your doctor right away. If you have any side effects, such as constipation, nausea, mood changes or confusion, contact a member of your health care team immediately.
• Check the expiration date on your pill bottle. Medication loses its effectiveness after a certain amount of time, and its effects become unpredictable.

When a medication has expired or you've stopped using it, dispose of it properly.