Every household has a medication storage area, or maybe two. They may have every family member’s medications together, and over the counter medications along with prescription medications. The medication storage area may be in a bathroom, a hall closet or possibly the kitchen. The question is where and how is the best way to store your medications?
First and foremost, you need to be sure that your medications don’t fall into the wrong hands. You never want a family member or a visitor to take your medication and use it to treat a medical condition without a doctor’s care or even to abuse it. When you pick your medication up from the pharmacist ask if the medication has a potential for abuse. If the answer is yes, then lock that medication up, and be aware of how much medication is left in the bottle at all times.
Medications also have to be stored at proper temperatures. For example, some medications require refrigeration. Make sure you check with the pharmacist when you pick up your prescription to see if it needs to be refrigerated. Children’s antibiotics often need refrigeration. If medication doesn’t need refrigeration, store it in a cool dry area out of reach of children and pets.
The bathroom is a common place to store medications, but you should actually not store your medications in the bathroom. The bathroom can be very humid and have temperature changes which can damage to medications. A better place would be somewhere that has a constant temperature and is cool and dry.
Grouping each family member’s prescriptions together can also be helpful. Color coding medicine bottles for each family member can make it easier to not get the medications confused. Only take medications that are prescribed for you. Don’t share your medications with anyone else. It is not a good idea to take your medications in front of small children, as they mimic adults and could accidentally take medication that is not meant for them. Make sure you properly dispose of all unused or expired medications.