4 Tips For Storing Your Medicine At Home
Typically, people get medicines to get well and make them feel better. They’re used to prevent or cure symptoms of illnesses to improve overall health. Whether you need to treat an infection, lower your blood pressure, or ease pain, taking medicines can become an essential part of your daily routine.
That being said, it’s essential to stock up on medicines at home for your maintenance or emergency needs. However, certain medications need to be stored properly to avoid unfortunate situations. A typical example is accidentally taking an expired medicine, which probably has adverse side effects on your body.
In this article, you’ll learn the four tips for properly storing medicine at home. These can include:
Table of Contents
Sort Through Your Medicines
To properly store medications at home, you should regularly check on your stock and determine if any of them are expiring. Sometimes, stocking up on medicines without checking their expiration dates can get you into trouble. With this setup, there’s a high chance you or any of your family members can accidentally take the wrong dose or consume expired medicine for their illness.
To prevent this incident, you should gather all the medicines in your house. Lay them on the table and start sorting through them all. For example, you should set aside the following medications:
- Those that have expired;
- Those which have no expiration dates;
- Those which have damaged packaging;
- Those which you no longer need.
Once you segregate your medications, it’s time to dispose of those you don’t want or need. Make sure the remaining medicines are the ones you think are still effective and safe. In case you need to buy new medications to stock up, you can check out a store online that offers various pharmacy products for your needs.
Categorize And Label The Medicines Accordingly
It’s important to categorize the medicines at home to ensure safety. You can quickly locate the medications needed with proper classification, especially during emergencies. To help you classify medicines, you can group them according to the ailment or symptom they cure.
For example, you can store all medications for flu-like symptoms, high blood pressure, diabetes, and all other illnesses in one container. However, it’s important to note that prescription drugs should be separate from other medicines. If they’re specifically prescribed for you or your family member, make sure to set them apart.
Moreover, you should also make an effort to label all the medicines accordingly to avoid grabbing the wrong ones. Proper labelling of medications at home can also be helpful in situations when you need someone to dispense them for you. So, in creating appropriate labels, you should include specific information, such as who the medication is for, the right amount of dosage, when it should be taken, and other essential instructions.
Organize Medicines In The Proper Place
Like food, medicines need to be stored in the right place. This means the storage area should have low humidity and a steady temperature. For example, if you want to keep the medications in the kitchen, make sure not to place them near the stove or refrigerator. These areas have warm conditions that can negatively affect the medicines’ potency.
Once you figure out the perfect place to store your medicines at home, it’s time to organize them properly. In doing so, you can use clear plastic bins to keep your medications visible. You can also utilize a small drawer organizer as medicine storage to keep your medicines more organized and accessible. Another storage option to use is a big first aid box, which can help you remember to take the medication at the right time as well as help you keep track of the medicines at home easily.
Keep The Medicines Away From Your Child’s Reach
If you have a kid in your house, it’s best not to store your medicine out in plain view. Doing so can be an accident waiting to happen, especially if they grab one of these medications and take it without your supervision. To avoid this unfortunate incident with your kid, make sure the place you choose to keep your medicines is high and in a hidden area.
For example, you can place them on the highest shelf in your closet, in an upper kitchen cabinet, or on top of the refrigerator. That way, you can rest knowing your medicines are safe from your kid’s reach.
Bottom Line
Having medicines ready at home can prove beneficial during health emergencies. Without them, your health or that of your family will be in danger. Therefore, keep the information mentioned above in mind if you’re planning to store medications at home. In doing so, you’ll know how to keep these health-related items organized and safe for consumption. Just make sure to update your supply regularly to keep track of the expiration dates and other unsafe conditions that affect the efficacy of your medicines
