I'M SURE we all have a few packs of medicines stored in the house somewhere, maybe in the bathroom cabinet or the cupboard under the sink. But when was the last time you checked them?
Storing medicines incorrectly, or keeping them past their expiry date, could cause problems when we need to use them.
Some medicines have very specific storage requirements. For example, some eye drops, creams, and antibiotic liquids need to be kept in the fridge while they're in use, to keep them fresh.
Expiry dates are another thing to watch out for. There are several ways they can be written on medicine packaging. 'Expiry date' means that you should not use the medicine after the stated date, or after the last day of the month specified.
If there is a 'use-by' date, this means you should not use the medicine after the end of the previous month. So, an expiry date of August 2020 means you should not use the medicine after August 31 2020, but a use-by date of August 2020 means you should not use it after July 31 2020.
Obviously, a medicine with an expiry date of July 2020 doesn't suddenly change overnight and become totally ineffective or dangerous on August 1. But I wouldn't recommend using a medicine outside of its intended date range without medical advice. The manufacturer has conducted many stability tests and determined the best time frame for its safe use.
For medicines that were dispensed for you by a pharmacy, you should also look at the dispensing label (containing your name, and the name of the pharmacy) for any further storage or expiry date instructions.
Antibiotic liquids and some specially-made medicines usually have a short expiry date, maybe just one or two weeks, depending on the product.
It's always helpful to keep some essential medicines in the home – but you should check your stocks occasionally to see if any of them have expired, or been stored outside of their recommended environment.
Seasonal medicines, like antihistamines or cold remedies, might be sitting in your cabinet for a long time before they're next needed – and when that next virus comes around, you'll thank yourself for replacing that out-of-date cough linctus in advance.
I would also recommend keeping your medicines in their original packaging to keep them protected from sunlight, along with the original leaflet.
