Don't do it: 5 common mistakes when storing medicines at home

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If the medicine is stored incorrectly, it can cause the medicine to lose its effectiveness. Experts talked about the most common mistakes in storing medicines at home and gave some tips.

Keep everything in one box

Many people keep all their medicines in one big box without dividers. This should not be done for several reasons.

• In an emergency, it will take a long time to try to find the right drug.
• When everything is stored in a jumble, it is more difficult to track expired dates. As a result, it may happen that the necessary drug is available, but it is no longer possible to take it.
• It is easy to confuse the packaging and take the wrong medicine.

Therefore, it is better to divide the medicine according to the purpose. For example, you can keep a small box with plasters in the corridor, and in the kitchen – tools needed for cuts and burns. It is better to store antibiotics and strong drugs in a separate box away from children. Everything else can be put in a plastic box with dividers.

If people with a weak heart, diabetes, or allergies live in the house, it is recommended to have an emergency box and collect everything necessary for first aid in it.

Keep medication in the bathroom

According to the recommendations of the manufacturers, most of the drugs should be kept in a dry place at room temperature. Therefore, it is better not to store the bath product: the temperature and humidity of the air often rise there, even in closed cabinets.

Do not read the storage instructions

Another mistake – do not read the instructions on how to store drugs, because there are drugs that need to be kept in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the chance of taking spoiled medicine increases.

Usually, ointments, gels, ampoules should be removed from the refrigerator. It is better to allocate one of the shelves of the refrigerator under them and make sure that the temperature mode is set correctly, writes the magazine “Ideas of your house”.

Store medicines without packaging

In an attempt to fit more medicines into the first aid kit, many people throw away cardboard packaging and instructions. However, it should be remembered that at the right moment there may simply not be time to search for a method of application on the Internet. In addition, the packaging protects the medicine from sunlight and moisture, prevents the pills from falling into the medicine cabinet.

Therefore, it is better to leave the packaging and instructions. It has an expiration date, and the name of the drug is easier to read on the box than on the blister.

Don't mess up

If you don't mess up, the medicine box as a result, it is overcrowded, and expired drugs are often stored inside. Therefore, it is better to get into the habit of going through the contents of the first-aid kit once every six months – to get rid of expired medicines and make a shopping list.