Did you know that your home pharmacy should be cleaned out at least twice a year to prevent the risks associated with medication misuse? Many of us don't do it often enough! The next time you're spring-cleaning, take a few minutes to reorganize your medicine cabinet. It'll save you from having to deal with unpleasant surprises! Just follow these four easy steps.
1
The first thing to do when cleaning out your medicine cabinet is to get rid of any medications that have passed their expiration date. All prescription and non-prescription drugs and products intended for therapeutic use have an expiration date (natural products included).
Taking expired medication isn't necessarily dangerous, but the product's effectiveness may be altered. It can be risky to take expired medications to treat or control a health problem because their effects will be less than optimal. The main risk is misuse of a medication, and cleaning out your medicine cabinet is a great way to reduce it.
Once you’ve rounded up the expired products and medications in your medicine cabinet, remember not to throw them in the garbage, sink, or toilet. Instead, take them to your pharmacist, who will send them to a specialized company to be destroyed in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Your pharmacist can also provide you with a specially designed container to safely store syringes, needles, and any other medical equipment used to administer medications.
Some products, such as antibiotic syrups and eye drops, may be expired even if they haven't passed their expiration date. When in doubt, ask your pharmacist whether these products are still okay to use.
2
Aside from checking expiration dates, cleaning out your medicine cabinet also involves getting rid of any medication that's unsuitable or that you no longer need. To determine whether to hang on to a product, ask yourself the following questions:
Remember that you can always ask your pharmacist to help you answer all these questions and make recommendations based on your needs.
3
When cleaning out your medicine cabinet, it's very important to verify how your medications are stored. Where and how you store your pharmaceuticals has a direct impact on their quality and effectiveness. Here are some best practices for storing your medications:
If there are no recommendations for the temperature at which to store a medication, keep it at room temperature (15°C–30°C) in a spot that's neither hot nor humid. Keep in mind that there is no benefit to refrigerating a product unless otherwise indicated by the manufacturer or a health care professional.
4
When cleaning out your medicine cabinet, you may come across your first-aid kit. When was the last time you checked its contents? Now's a good time to make a list of all those first-aid essentials you might be missing (especially if you have active, fearless children who get a lot of little boo-boos)!
Your first-aid kit should include the following basic items:
Depending on you and your family, other products related to specific health problems should be added to your first-aid kit. Examples include an epinephrine injector for severe allergies, an inhaler for anyone with asthma, and fast-acting glucose tablets for diabetics who take insulin.
We also recommend keeping a list of emergency contacts in your first-aid kit. This will save you precious minutes in the event you need to use it.
Visit your Brunet-affiliated pharmacy owner to learn how to manage your medications.
You may change the store at any time.
