Have you ever noticed how much of your personal information is included on a prescription bottle and its packaging? Take a look next time you pick up a prescription at the pharmacy.

The outer packaging may include your name, address, date of birth, insurance information, physician name, prescription information and refill information.

The same is true for the prescription bottle.

Most people casually discard both in the trash, while properly destroying other pieces of paper that include the same information, because they don’t recognize the extent of the personal information that is included.

The tip this week is to shred the outer packaging and the label of all prescription bottles because they contain detailed personal information about you that can be accessible by others. Protect this information just as you would any other piece of paper or electronic information with sensitive details about your health.

Be aware of when your personal information is included on things you don’t expect, such as prescription bottles and packaging. Don’t forget to do the same for your children.