We usually have some medicine at home that can be used by both adults and children, such as for treating colds and headaches, diarrhea, chronic diseases, and external disinfectants for wounds. How can these medicines be stored to ensure their safety and effectiveness, so that they can be easily obtained when using them? Let's talk about it now!

The storage of drugs should follow rigorous and scientific principles to ensure their quality and safety. Here are some suggestions for drug storage:

1. Drugs should be stored separately, especially for adults and children, to prevent misuse.

2. Oral and topical medications should be stored separately to avoid confusion during use.

3. The drugs needed for chronic diseases in the elderly should be stored uniformly for easy management and access.

4. Drugs, traditional Chinese medicinal materials, and Chinese herbal slices that are prone to cross contamination should be stored independently to prevent mutual interference and contamination.

5. When storing drugs, the outer packaging box and instructions should be kept as much as possible for easy reference. If the outer packaging box and instructions are missing, labels should be affixed to the inner packaging of the drug, and detailed information such as the drug name, purpose, usage, dosage, expiration date, etc. should be indicated.

6. Drugs should be stored in a dry, ventilated, and dark place away from direct sunlight to maintain their stability and effectiveness. At the same time, drugs should be kept out of reach of children to prevent accidental situations such as ingestion.

Just now we mentioned that we need to keep the drug packaging box and instructions! Why? Sometimes, when we need to find medication instructions, we realize that the packaging box and instructions for the medication are missing. So, everyone should develop a good habit of preserving the outer packaging and instructions of drugs, as they contain important information such as the drug name, how to take it, how much to take, side effects, expiration date, etc. Secretly telling you, the last part of the drug instructions will have dedicated sections for "storage" and "expiration date", telling you how to store the drug and how long the shelf life is. Don't throw away the packaging box and instructions just to save costs, otherwise over time, if you want to check whether the medicine has expired, you won't be able to find a basis, and medication safety will be difficult to guarantee.

So what are the key elements for drug storage? The editor has listed several important items here, be sure to read them

1. Temperature: It also has a certain impact on drug efficacy. Too high or too low can affect the quality of drugs, and even lead to drug deterioration and failure. So it is generally recommended to store small family medicine boxes at room temperature, which is 10-30 ℃; Refrigeration means keeping drugs in an environment of 2-8 ℃; A cool place is a place where the temperature does not exceed 20 ℃. It's even more special in cool and dark places, it has to avoid light and the temperature should not exceed 20 ℃.

2. Light: As mentioned above, why should we avoid light? Light should not be underestimated. Exposure to sunlight can cause chemical reactions in drugs, especially in the form of ultraviolet radiation. The most direct manifestation of this is a lighter color or precipitation of the drug. Avoiding light means not allowing direct sunlight to shine on the medicine. Light blocking refers to using opaque containers, such as brown bottles or black packaging.

3. Humidity: It is also important. If there is too much water vapor in the air, drugs are prone to absorb water, deliquescence, denaturation, clumping, and even deformation; If there is too little water vapor, the medicine is prone to weathering. The humidity in the medicine cabinet at home should be controlled between 35% and 75%. Remember these, and you can store your medicine at home with peace of mind!

4. Air: Oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air also have an impact on the quality of drugs. Some drugs absorb oxygen or carbon dioxide from the air and undergo redox reactions, leading to drug deterioration and failure. So the general instruction manual states that sealing means tightly covering the lid to prevent external air from entering and prevent dust and foreign matter contamination. Sealing is the addition of a layer of protection on top of sealing to prevent the drug from deteriorating, absorbing moisture, and evaporating.

5. Microorganisms are also a major hidden danger. If drug packaging is not tight or damaged, it is easy to be contaminated by microorganisms such as mold, bacteria, yeast, etc. The drugs will rot, ferment, and mold, and the efficacy will be lost.

Finally, let's talk about the issue that everyone is concerned about - how long is the storage time of drugs after opening?

1.Capsules or tablets individually packaged in aluminum foil can be stored until expiration under normal conditions.

2. Bottled medicines usually contain desiccants. After opening the bottle, the desiccants should be discarded to prevent moisture absorption from affecting the efficacy of the medicine. Unless otherwise specified, the usage period of bottled drugs after opening shall not exceed 6 months.

3. Syrup contains sugar, which can easily breed bacteria. After opening in winter, it can be stored for 3 months, while in summer it can only be stored for 1 month.

4. Oral solutions, suspensions, and emulsions, if not contaminated, can be stored at room temperature for 2 months after opening.

5. Eye preparations, nasal preparations, and ear preparations should be used for no more than 4 weeks after opening. Eye preparations of special biological products, such as recombinant human epidermal growth factor eye drops, can generally only be used for one week after opening.

6. Ointment, keep at room temperature for up to 2 months.

7. Biological agents: Insulin should be stored in the refrigerator (2-8 ℃) before opening, and used up within 4 weeks at a temperature not exceeding 25 ℃ after opening. GLP-1 receptor agonist injectable drugs such as liraglutide should be refrigerated at temperatures below 30 ° C or 2-8 ° C after the first opening, and should not be frozen. Liraglutide should be used up within one month after opening; After opening, store semaglutide in a refrigerator at temperatures below 30 ℃ or between 2-8 ℃, and use up within 6 weeks; After opening the De Gu insulin injection (Novo Dachang Chong), store it at room temperature (not exceeding 30 ℃) and use it up within 8 weeks.

8. Nitroglycerin tablets: a common medicine for the elderly, but nitroglycerin is prone to decomposition under light, so it is stored in amber glass bottles at temperatures below 25 ℃. After opening, it can generally be used for 3 months.

9. Break open the pill: After breaking open, the stability of the pill is poor, and it is best to use it within 24 hours.

In addition, it is necessary to regularly clean up the stored drugs at home every 3-6 months and promptly detect expired drugs. To avoid discovering expired drugs only when needed, which not only delays the condition but also causes waste of drug resources. When buying medicine, purchase it according to demand, ensuring "preparation" rather than "hoarding", in order to improve the effectiveness and safety of medication.