Medicine offers relief from several illnesses and therefore needs to be stored well, otherwise it will do more harm than good. Often, our bathroom cabinets are ignorantly also used as medicine cabinets. This is not right.

According to Ms Emily Nakajubi, a pharmacist at Case Clinic, the regular baths taken cause a lot of moisture to accumulate in the bathroom. “Such temperatures are not good for the medicines,” she said. Usually, the bathroom will become hot and humid.
This atmosphere quickens the break down process of the drugs, especially tablets and capsules. Nakajubi points out that medicine should be stored in a dark and dry place at room temperature. In agreement, the American Pharmaceutical Association recommends that consumers should store their medicine in “a cool dry cabinet in some other room of the house”. If you choose to keep them in the kitchen, do not keep them close to any heat-releasing appliance, such as the stove and sink.
“There are some medicines or drugs that need to be stored in a fridge,” Nakajubi said, giving the example of vaccines. She warns, however, that one should be able to control the temperatures in the fridge so that the drugs do not solidify. Only keep your drugs in the fridge if the pharmacist gives you the green light.
According to Nakajubi, there is no harm in repackaging drugs if it is done the right way. She said danger lurks if the medicine is in the face of direct sunlight. She added, “Direct sunlight can make the medicine lose its color and odor.” It could make the medicine lose it’s effectiveness before its expiry date.
Nakajubi warns that as long as the medicine smells or looks different, regardless of the expiration date, throw it out. If the tablets or capsules stick together, or do not seem as they were when you purchased them, you should throw them away.
Take care not to leave your medication under direct sunlight when traveling by car. If by plane, pack your medicine in your carry-on bag, not the suitcase you checked in. More so, take your doctor’s or pharmacist’s number so that you can contact either if necessary. On a more general note, store the medicine in a cabinet that can either be locked or is out of children’s reach.
(Source: monitor.co.)