Keep Your Medications Cool

Did you ever wonder why the labels on so many medications advise keeping the drugs in a cool, dry place?  It's because heat and humidity can break medicine down, making it less effective and potentially dangerous.

For example, the heart medication nitroglycerin begins to work when it is  placed under the tongue because it is activated by moisture, according to a pharmaceutical expert at the University of Kansas. So, if you store this medication in a humid area (like the bathroom), it will start to break down, and when you need it you won't get the proper dose.

Heat, moisture and light all have the potential to alter the effectiveness of drugs. That means the bathroom medicine cabinet, the most common storage area, is probably the worst place to store medications. A kitchen cabinet (but not over the stove or refrigerator) out of children's reach, is a better place to store both prescription and non-prescription drugs.

Other suggestions for keeping your medication at its most effectiveness

• Don't store in the refrigerator unless directed to do so by your pharmacist.
• Keep the medication in its original packaging -- those drug-store bottles are amber colored for a reason - to keep light from affecting the medicine.  And to keep the medication properly identified - pills often look similar and you may have trouble telling them apart out of the bottle.
• If you have to carry your medication with you, keep in mind that your car is probably not a great place to store your medicine either, because of the
  extremes in temperature.
• Medication has an expiration date after which it will not be as effective and some may even have the opposite effect of being harmful once they have expired.  On over-the-counter medication like acetaminophen, the expiration date is on the bottle.  For prescription drugs, the expiration date is usually one year - check with your pharmacist.  Discard all medication after it's expiration date.
• Clean out your medicine cabinet once a year to get rid of those old medications.  Check the expiration date when buying over-the-counter medication to avoid getting one with a short expiration date that you may not be able to use all the medication before it expires.
• What to do with this expired medication hanging around the house?   Flushing them down the toilet is often noted as a way to safely dispose of them. This is definitely NOT correct.  This goes into the wastewater system and the handling plants are not designed to handle household hazardous wastes like expired medication.  Many medications have very high concentrations of metals, chemicals and/or organic substances that do not break down easily in the wastewater treatment process. These medications can end up in our water supplies in trace amounts and also get into the soil and become environmental hazards.  Another problem with flushing expired medications down the toilet is that they can clump together and clog the toilet.

So what do you do with these expired medications?

The guidelines, issued by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, advises consumers to "take unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers and throw them in the trash."  Be aware that this may create a hazard for children or pets as well as people who may take the medication and resale it.

They advise mixing the medications with kitty litter, used coffee grounds or other materials and put them in "impermeable, nondescript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags" before tossing them, to help prevent accidental ingestion by children or pets.  The Harvard Heart Letter, a publication of Harvard Medical School, offers another tip: Add "some water to pills, and put some flour in liquids" before throwing medications away.

Don't flush old medications down the toilet unless the drug's label specifically says to do so. "Drugs can kill helpful bacteria in septic systems and pass largely untouched through sewage treatment plants," according to Harvard. And, "once in landfills, drugs can trickle into groundwater."

Community Programs, some pharmacies, health providers and city and state governments will dispose of your medications for you. Call those in your area to see what's available.  This is usually in conjunction with an annual disposal of other hazardous/household chemicals (like pesticides, weed killer, unused cleaning products, etc.).

If you take part in the program or place them in the trash, protect sensitive information like your name and other information by either crossing it out, removing the label or putting the medication into another container.

Another option is to take any old pills and pulverize them. Return them to their child-safe container and place the container inside several thick zip lock plastic bags or a thick plastic container. This can now be tossed into the household trash.

You may want to search the Internet for other disposal methods, like donating the medication to a third world company, most medication is still effective a little while past the expiration date or you may routinely (like yearly) dispose of discontinued medication or medication about to expire.

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