Each year, about 50,000 children under age 5 end up in emergency departments for poisoning after swallowing medicine unintentionally.

Medications are meant to improve and save lives. But when a medicine gets into the wrong hands and is taken by a child or teen, the results can be deadly. That’s why all prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and supplements should be stored safely and kept out of reach.

Even small amounts of common medicines can be deadly for babies and young children— sometimes just a pill or two. This includes fever and pain medicines, prescription opioids, heart and diabetes medications, and even vitamins, or common supplements such as iron. Teenagers can sometimes make poor choices with pills, especially prescriptions, with tragic results.

If your child is unconscious, not breathing, having seizures or other worrisome symptoms from possible poison contact or ingestion, call 911 or your local emergency number. If your child has mild or no symptoms, call or email the Poison Center, 800-222-1222 or PoisonHelp.org.

Just like you protect your child in your vehicle by using car seats and seat belts, you need to protect your children at home by locking up medicines and other common household poisons. Here are some medicine safety tips for parents, grandparents and anyone who has a child or teen in their home.

Use medicine containers with safety caps that are child resistant. No medicine container is fully child-proof and children may be able to open child-resistant caps so keep them out of reach and out of sight of children.

Store all prescription and over-the-counter medicines and supplements in their original packages in locked cabinets or containers. Safety latches that lock when you close a cabinet door can help keep children away from harmful products, but they do not always work. Consider buying a small safe or lockbox to lock up all medicines and drugs. Be sure to put the medicines back right after using them. Remind babysitters, grandparents and other visitors to keep purses, bags or jackets that have medicines in them away from children’s reach.

When taking medicine, do it over a bathroom sink and/or away from common areas of your home in case you drop or spill it. If you spill medicine, clean it up immediately. For many opioids and other powerful painkillers, even a small amount consumed or absorbed through the skin (liquid and patches) can be life-threatening.

It’s important to never refer to medicine as “candy” or another appealing name. This can confuse or tempt a child to try other pills when you’re not watching.

Be careful to give the correct dose and measure it out exactly. This includes reading the label each time you give over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Giving the wrong dose of a medication by mistake is a common medication error that leads to emergency department visits. Use a medicine syringe or dropper to ensure the correct dosage is given and never use adult-strength medications for children.