Why medicines should not be stored in the bathroom and kitchen

Has it ever happened to you: you took a tablet out of the contour cell, and it crumbled in your hands? Or has the color of the medicine changed, although the expiration date has not yet passed? In such a situation, we look for the reason anywhere: counterfeit, tricks of the pharmacy chain that sold the “overdue” one. But in fact, as Krylov’s famous fable says, “the little chest just opened”! It's all about storage!

The importance of proper storage

Most often, only after discovering a spoiled drug, many of us notice that the package says “store in a dry place, protected from light.”

And who is to blame if we left the tablets, which are contraindicated in moisture, in the bathroom? For some reason, it never occurs to anyone to hang shelves for books in the bathroom, but while you can live without a damaged book, it’s not always possible to live without medicine.

How to avoid ending up in such a situation? The answer is obvious: read the instructions! This is where storage instructions are printed. Failure to comply with storage conditions can turn a medicine into a dummy or, worse, poison.

Important! To store most medications, you need a dry place out of direct sunlight.

How are things going with these requirements in different areas of the house? What mistake do you make when you leave medications in the kitchen or bathroom? Let's talk about this in more detail.

Why are the kitchen and bathroom not suitable for medicine?

We look for the answer to this question from the manufacturers of medicines: on the packaging or in the text of the instructions for use in the “storage conditions” section.

Temperature

Reference! The most common formulation for tablet forms is: “store at a temperature not exceeding +25 degrees.”

Now let’s think about whether the temperature in the kitchen and bathroom always remains at this level? The answer is obvious: no, not always!

Humidity

Another factor that we cannot rule out: in these rooms there is high humidity, which is detrimental to drugs in paper packaging, powders, various plasters and dressings.

Some people object: on the shelves of hardware stores there are special plastic cabinets for small items and medicines; they only fit organically into the interior of the bathroom. Let's say that on such a cabinet there is a red cross or other medical symbol. But who’s stopping you from choosing another one or masking this one with decorative panels and placing it outside wet areas?

Interesting! There are also more “exotic” explanations why medicines have no place in the kitchen. Ancient Vedic science about the proper construction of living space says the following: if medicines are in the fire area (in our case, in the kitchen), then there is no financial well-being in the house!

Where is the best place to store medications in an apartment?

Having figured out where you can’t store it, let’s start looking for the most suitable place.

Two main rules

• The most important rule: there, where there is no access for children, people with mental disorders and animals.
• Second rule: follow the instructions of the pharmaceutical company that released the drug.

Therefore, we turn again to the instructions.

Storage options

• If the instructions say a dry, cool place, then the medicine should be put in the refrigerator (but not in the freezer!)

Advice! It is better to highlight the bottom shelf or shelf on the door. This is how eye drops, some ointments, syrups, suppositories, and vaccines are stored.

True, it is advisable to pre-pack them in a sealed container or plastic bag. After all, even the best refrigerator is not immune to condensation.

• Liquids bottled in dark or opaque glass, do not require special conditions. They can be left where it is convenient.
• For other dosage forms (tablets, powders, solutions, bandages, plasters, “herbs”), any will do storage systems closed with opaque doors. This could be a special closet, shelf, drawer in the living room or bedroom.

Reference! There are special containers on sale that are designed specifically for storing medicines and medical equipment. Containers are divided into sections in which everything will be in strict order. A tonometer, thermometer, glucometer, etc. are also placed here.

As a rule, such containers have handles, so they are convenient to carry and place directly at the patient’s bedside.

If the medicine was stored in the country

Finally, information for residents of the southern regions of our country who prefer to spend the summer in a country house not equipped with air conditioning.

We remember that high fever is strictly contraindicated for tablets; they are destroyed by it and lose their medicinal properties.

Because at the end of the summer season, you should meticulously inspect the remaining medicineswho survived the heat. We need to get rid of pills in yellowed packs or cut blisters. They may not have gone bad, but why risk your health?