SafeMedicationUse Newsletter

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2020

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• How Much Iron Is in Here? 2020-02-05

• Who Keeps the Box? Are Your Prescriptions Properly Labelled? 2020-01-08

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2019

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• When Medications Are Not Available Due to a Drug Shortage 2019-11-13
• Biologics and Biosimilars: What You Need to Know 2019-10-09
• Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act What It Means for You 2019-08-21
• Mistaken Identity – A Recurring Problem 2019-07-24
• How to Safely Transfer Your Prescriptions 2019-06-19
• Sun-Sensitive Medications 2019-05-01
• You Asked Us: Checking Medication Expiry Dates 2019-04-10
• Consumer "Good Catches" – Part 2: Know Where to Look 2019-03-06
• Consumer "Good Catches" – Part 1: Know What to Expect 2019-02-13
• Natural Health Products—Improving Labels for Safety 2019-01-30

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2018

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• Medication Reviews in Long-Term Care Homes 2018-11-14
• Insulin Pens: Important Safety Information 2018-10-17
• Have Unused Medications Overstayed Their Welcome? 2018-09-19
• You Asked Us: "Should I Change My Pharmacy after a Mistake?" 2018-08-29
• Brand Name Extension: What Does It Mean? 2018-07-18
• Keep Your Medications Organized 2018-05-29
• Using Your Own Medications While in Hospital 2018-04-25
• Do NOT Delay Starting Certain Medications 2018-03-23
• New Symptoms: Could They Be Related to Your Medications? 2018-02-22
• Don't Be Embarrassed to Talk to Your Pharmacist 2018-01-17

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2017

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• Save a Life—Get a Naloxone Kit to Treat an Opioid Overdose 2017-12-05
• Keep Your Vaccinations Up to Date 2017-10-11
• Talking to Your Pharmacist May Prevent Harm 2017-09-20
• Do You Know Your Medication Allergies? 2017-08-16
• Opioids – Be an Informed Consumer 2017-07-27
• Losing Medications Can Spoil Your Vacation 2017-06-14
• Know and Share Your Weight in Kilograms 2017-05-10
• Suddenly Stopping a Medication Can Be Harmful 2017-03-22
• Some Medications Don't Mix 2017-02-08
• What to Expect if the Pharmacy Makes a Mistake 2017-01-11

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2016

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• Know Your Medications before Leaving on a "Pass"! 2016-12-08
• Be Sure You Know the Meaning of "Take as Needed" 2016-11-09
• Medications Can Look Like Candy 2016-10-19
• 5 Questions to Ask about Your Medications 2016-09-20
• Beat the Heat: How to Prevent, Recognize, and Manage Heat-Related Illnesses 2016-07-14
• Misconceptions about Medicines that Could Be Deadly: Part 3 2016-06-07
• Misconceptions about Medicines that Could Be Deadly: Part 2 2016-05-31
• Reminder: Contact Lens Cleaning Solutions with Hydrogen Peroxide May Cause Eye Injury 2016-04-26
• Is this Over-the-Counter Medicine Safe for Me? 2016-03-30
• Misconceptions about Medicines That Could Be Deadly: Part 1 2016-01-18

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2015

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• Make Sure You Are Heard by Your Healthcare Providers 2015-12-02
• Incident Reported with Cold and Flu Product 2015-11-04
• Tips to Prevent Medication Errors with Your Blister Pack 2015-10-21
• Illegible Prescriptions Can Lead to Errors 2015-09-16
• Oral Chemotherapy: Not Just an Ordinary Pill 2015-08-19
• Navigating Safely Through a Sea of Health Information 2015-06-18
• Caution: Not All Medicines Are Taken Every Day 2015-03-31
• Beware: Medicine Names May Sound Alike, but the Medicines May Be Very Different! 2015-03-18
• Same Brand Name, Different Ingredient 2015-02-12
• Confusion with a Baby's Dose of Medicine 2015-01-14

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2014

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• Reminder: Pay Attention to the Appearance of Your Medicines 2014-12-02
• Know When Your Medicine Should Be Stopped! 2014-11-04
• Sharing Opioid Medicines Can Be Deadly 2014-09-03
• Travellers: Many Medicines Have Different Names in Foreign Countries 2014-08-18
• 10-Fold Dose Errors 2014-06-19
• Preventing Harm from Drug-Food Interactions 2014-06-09
• Alert: More Reports of Eye Injuries Involving Clear Care 2014-03-31
• Epipen or Epipen Jr? Your child's weight matters. 2014-03-04
• Acetaminophen – Harm from Overdose Can Be Prevented 2014-02-06

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2013

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• Get Your Flu Shot - and Keep a Record! 2013-12-20
• An Important Question - Does this new medicine replace one of my current medicines? 2013-11-28
• Good Communication Can Help Prevent Harmful Mistakes with Medicines! 2013-10-29
• Reminder - Check Your Prescription! 2013-09-13
• Some Capsules Are Not Meant to Be Swallowed 2013-07-31
• Some Medicines Should Not Be Crushed, Split, or Chewed! 2013-07-09
• Many Medicines Look Alike – Always Read the Label! 2013-05-29
• Does This Medicine Belong to Me? 2013-04-29
• Informed Consumers Can Help Prevent Harm from Opioid Use! 2013-03-25
• Alert: Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter Contains Important Information for Consumers with Allergies! 2013-01-24

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2012

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• When It Comes to Your Medicines, Don't Rely on Memory! 2012-12-19
• Alert: Some Eye Drops and Nasal Sprays May Be Harmful if Swallowed! 2012-12-06
• Alert: Reminder: Take Care with Clear Care! 2012-10-31
• Alert: Health Canada has released an Information Update about a potential interaction between methotrexate and Proton Pump Inhibitors 2012-10-19
• Take Steps to Prevent Mix-ups with Pets' Medicines! 2012-10-9
• Are You Taking the Right Amount of Water With Your Medicine? 2012-08-27
• Alert: Health Canada Endorsed Important Safety Information about potential device failure with Pulmicort Turbuhaler 2012-07-26
• Alert: Take Care with Medicine Patches! 2012-07-04
• Alert: Health Canada Endorsed Important Safety Information on the Dangers Associated with the Use of Counterfeit Drugs 2012-06-22
• Preventing Harm from Drug Interactions: Consumers Can Play an Important Role 2012-06-14
• Alert: Check Labels Carefully When Selecting Gravol Products! 2012-05-04
• Consumer Catches Error Involving Similar Medicine Names 2012-05-01
• Alert: Cough and Cold Preparations: Use with Care! 2012-03-26
• Alert: Health Canada is advising Canadians that Sandoz Canada is recalling a partial lot of 2mg/mL (1 mL) Morphine Sulfate Injection 2012-03-22
• Alert: Health Canada is informing Canadians of Vita Health Products' voluntary recall of the "combo pack" of Rexall Extra Strength Sinus Relief Daytime and Nighttime 2012-03-12
• Know What to Do if You Are Allergic to a Medicine! 2012-03-08
• Alert: Health Canada Endorsed Important Safety Information on Domperidone Maleate 2012-03-07
• Alert: Take Steps to Prevent Mix-ups between Family Members' Medicines at Home 2012-02-06
• Alert: Health Canada is advising Canadians of Novartis Consumer Health Inc's recall of Excedrin products 2012-01-13
• Medication Reconciliation Can Help to Reduce the Chance of Errors with Medicines! 2012-01-11

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2011

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• Alert: Health Canada Endorsed Important Information on the Correct Use of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr Auto-Injector 2011-12-22
• What's In a Brand Name? 2011-11-30
• Alert: Health Canada Endorsed Important Safety Information on Pradax (dabigatran) and Plavix (clopidogrel) 2011-11-08
• It's Important to Speak Out! 2011-10-31
• Alert: Don't Take Your Medicines Twice! 2011-09-30
• Preventing Errors with Children's Medicines:
  Part 3 - Over-the-Counter Medicines 2011-08-31
• Preventing Errors with Children's Medicines:
  Part 2 - At Home and Away from Home 2011-07-27
• Preventing Errors with Children's Medicines:
  Part 1 - At the Doctor's Office and Pharmacy 2011-06-27
• Alert: Beware of Potential Confusion between Pradax and Plavix! 2011-05-27
• Alert: Markings on Oral Syringes Can Be Confusing (Be Sure to Measure Liquid Medicines Accurately) 2011-04-27
• Safe Disposal of Medications 2011-03-15
• Alert: Removing Medicines from Original Packaging Can Lead to Errors 2011-02-22
• Alert: Similar Patient Names Leads to Pregnant Woman Getting Wrong Prescription 2011-02-15
• Angeliq Drug Samples Mistakenly Provided as Birth Control 2011-01-17

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2010

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• Epinephrine Auto-Injectors - Know How to Use EpiPen and Twinject Properly 2010-12-09
• Consumer Identifies Warfarin Error as the Cause of Unexpected Test Results 2010-11-11
• Minerals May Interact with Some Medicines. Don't Forget – Keep a List of Your Medicines! 2010-09-15
• Alert: Look-Alike Gravol Ginger Product Causes Confusion for Consumers 2010-08-17
• Mix-ups Between Spouses' Medications Could be Harmful 2010-07-15
• Alert: Take Care with Clear Care® Cleaning and Disinfecting Solution for Contact Lenses 2010-06-22
• Understand How to Take Your Medicines Properly! 2010-06-07
• Alert: Health Canada Warns of Confusion Between Maalox Multi Action and other Maalox Products 2010-05-17
• Let People Know Who You Are - Patient Identification 2010-05-13
• Consumers Can Help Prevent Mistakes with Medication - Check Your Prescription! 2010-03-10
• Take Care with Iron Supplements - "Too Much of a Good Thing" Can be Dangerous! 2010-03-10