Who knew…all this time many of us have been storing our medications, vitamins and other prescriptions in our medicine cabinet or elsewhere in our bathrooms. Bathrooms can be hot and humid which causes medications to degrade over time making them less effective.
Storing drugs in a cool, dark place, like a kitchen cabinet or in a bedroom where the temperature range is 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit will allow them to remain effective until their expiration date. If you choose to move your meds to the kitchen, use a cabinet away from heat or cold, e.g., microwave, stove or fridge.
I am a big fan of corralling like items to allow for easy access. There are several ways you can choose to organize these items. One option is to assign a container for each family member. Alternatively, you can organize by category, with a small container designated for each group:
- Over the counter meds: Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Benadryl, allergy pills, antacids, etc.
- Vitamins and supplements
- Mini-first aid kit: band-aids, Neosporin, rubbing alcohol, etc. It’s always a good idea to keep some of these things in the kitchen for the inevitable small cut or burn.
If you have small children you might want to separate their medications from the adult containers, and of course place them in an unreachable area. Rumor has it that I, as a young toddler, once ate an entire bottle of chewable baby aspirin. Fortunately there were no adverse reactions.
I don’t have children, but do have one husband, and one dog, and they both take a variety of meds; me, not so much. Here is how I’ve organized their respective stashes:
I got so tired of all the pill bottles falling out as we reached for just one container. My husband laughs, but I think he would agree this is a much better approach.
It is important to properly dispose of medications once they expire. Throwing pills in the toilet or trash isn’t a good idea. The LADWP provides guidelines on how to dispose of your unused drugs and hazardous waste. The FDA is another great resource. On September 29th the DEA is sponsoring National Drug Take-Back Day. Check for a event location near you.