JANUARY 8, 2018
Medications and the sun
Most people probably haven’t taken much notice but medication labels state that they must be stored below 25 degrees Celsius. Keeping medications away from moisture is also important and this is why an elevated shelf in the pantry and not the bathroom or the fridge is a good place for medications unless they specifically state that they should be refrigerated.
Don’t leave medicines in the car!
We all know the effects on people and animals of being in a hot car but how many people have really thought about the effects on their emergency paracetamol tablets or Ventolin inhaler in the glove box?
Medications can have their effects increased or decreased through exposure to extreme heat. This means they may not work at all or they may work too much. Both of these situations can be dangerous.
If you need to take medication away from the house with you always take it in your bag when you get out of the car.
If a medication looks like it has changed in any way such as the tablets/capsules have cracked or are stuck together this is a sign that they have been affected by heat.
If in doubt “throw” it out and by throw I mean dispose of appropriately by taking it in to your pharmacy to be placed in the returned medications bin and not flushed down the toilet or placed in household rubbish.
