A medicine cabinet is a great place to keep grooming tools or toiletries but, despite the name, it’s a terrible place to store medications. The temperature and humidity of a bathroom can make medications go bad more quickly than they otherwise would.
Photo by Frankieleon.
Many drugs, especially those in pill form, can last for a long time (even longer than their expiration dates, in many cases). But that’s only if they’re stored in good conditions: cool, dry, dark places. Bathroom medicine cabinets fail two out of three: they tend to be hotspots for high temperatures and humidity.
A dresser drawer or a kitchen cabinet (away from the stove, of course) would be a better place. Also think about who can access the medications, since you’ll want to keep them away from kids and pets. It’s not unreasonable to keep meds in a lockbox to thwart marauding toddlers, and the US FDA recommends locking up anything that might appeal to curious teens.
Storing Your Medicine [HealthDay]
Comments
One response to “Your Bathroom Medicine Cabinet Is A Bad Place To Keep Medicine”
Most pills are supplied in blister packs these days. In which case, humidity is irrelevant since each pill is sealed from the environment.
Temperature can be important, but your bathroom cupboard is unlikely to be much warmer/colder than any other cupboard in the house. At least not enough to significantly affect the longevity of active ingredients.