Health Articles > Spring Cleaning and Your Medicine Cabinet

Spring Cleaning and Your
Medicine Cabinet

Emergency Medication

If a health care professional has prescribed medications for a family member that may be needed in an emergency, such as EpiPens and asthma inhalers, it is extremely important to check the expiration date on these medications since they may not used very often. Be sure all family members know where they are stored and how to use them. These items must be readily available incase of an emergency. Time is of the essence and reading the instructions when an emergency arises can delay much needed treatment

When cleaning out your medicine cabinet and other depots, you may discover that you have multiple containers of products like ASA or cough syrup. Do not pour one bottle into another as the expiration dates may be different or the uses of seemingly similar products may be different.

Most often, people store their medication in the bathroom or the kitchen, frequently in a cabinet above the stove. These storage places are often hot and moist areas. Moisture and heat can have adverse effects on medication causing it to lose potency prior to the expiration date. Read the directions on the labels and store the medication appropriately. Most medication should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place, away from children.

Be sure to have childproof locks installed on your medicine cabinets and keep all medication out of reach of little ones.

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