Medicines should be stored in a cool, dark and dry place, preferably in a cabinet. Shoe boxes, tin cans with or without lids, or just any drawer are unsuitable. The best place for a medicine cabinet is the bedroom or an unheated adjoining room. Bathrooms and kitchens are usually too humid and too warm – this can harm the medicines. The medicine cabinet should be lockable. This is especially true if children live in the household. Childproof storage of medications is also easily neglected when a child is currently ill and the medications are needed regularly. Medications should therefore be returned to the medicine cabinet after each administration. If medication is given at home during a course of illness, the time of day and dose should be noted on a sheet. The body temperature can also be entered there after taking the temperature. The course of the illness can then be better documented and the dosing intervals better observed.
Use up medication?
Most medications must be taken in full pack strength. This is especially true for antibiotics. Unauthorized discontinuation of antibiotics leads to the fact that not all bacteria are killed and the remaining ones become resistant to the active substance. If medications are still not completely used up, they should be disposed of. Other medications, such as pain relievers, can continue to be used until the expiration date. Medicines should always be kept in the packaging together with the instructions for use. You should also make a note on the packaging of who the medicine was intended for and when it was opened. However, this does not mean that you can take the medicine again on your own without consulting your doctor if you become ill later.
Shelf life of medicines
Medicines have a limited shelf life. After the use-by date printed on the package has passed, the medicine may lose its effectiveness. Some indications of possibly spoiled medicines can be easily seen with the naked eye:
- Tablets have dark spots.
- Coated tablets are discolored or cracked.
- Ointments or creams smell rancid, are dried up or have liquefied.
- In a liquid that is actually clear, there is sediment and floating flakes.
- Cones glisten and show crystals on the surface.
In order not to contaminate ointments and creams, which are made in the pharmacy according to a precise recipe, you should always remove the contents with a clean spatula. Wooden spatulas, which are discarded after a single use, are well suited for this purpose. Eye drops usually have a shelf life of only a few weeks after opening – the exact information is given in the package insert.
