Do you get how to manage your home medicine cabinet?

This is the 3823rd article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Many families will stock up on some commonly used medicines to solve urgent problems, so that some minor symptoms can be relieved in time and some sudden diseases can be controlled as soon as possible. If the family medicine box is used improperly, it will harm the health of the people. So how should we use the family medicine box correctly?

Home medicine cabinet

When preparing medicines, you should prepare them according to the composition and health conditions of your family members. If there are elderly people or children with chronic diseases at home, you should pay special attention to preparing their commonly used medicines; give priority to medicines that have been on the market for a long time and have definite efficacy; be equipped with some sterilized disposable medicines, measuring tools and simple home medical devices; the commonly used medicines and medicines recommended for the family medicine box are shown in the figure below:

Drug expiration date management

The expiration date of a drug refers to the period during which the drug can maintain its quality under certain storage conditions. Each drug has a corresponding expiration date, so the drug packaging must be preserved. There are several ways to indicate the expiration date of a drug, as shown in the figure below.

As for the shelf life of opened medicines, ophthalmic preparations can be kept for 4 weeks after opening, ointments can be kept for 2 months after opening, Chinese herbal decoctions can be kept in the refrigerator for 7 days and at room temperature for 3 days, and syrups can be kept for 3 months in winter and 1 month in summer after opening.

Drug Storage Guide

After receiving the medicine, you should first pay attention to the storage conditions of the medicine on the instructions, whether it is stored in a dark, sealed, dry, cool (≤20℃), or cold place (2-10℃). Children's medicines must be kept out of children's reach to avoid accidental ingestion.

Drug Recycling and Cleanup

Expired/spoiled medicines and health products contain chemical ingredients, heavy metals, etc., which are different from general garbage and cannot be thrown directly into the trash can. They should be sent to the local expired medicine recycling designated unit or designated recycling bin for recycling. The remaining drugs of anesthetic patches and first-class psychotropic drugs should be returned to the medical institution, which will destroy them in accordance with regulations.

Finally, if the original packaging is damaged, be sure to re-label the drug's name, indications, usage, dosage, and expiration date, etc.; the household medicine box should be checked and replaced regularly, and the medicine box should be checked every 3-6 months, and medicines that have exceeded the expiration date should be replaced in a timely manner.

Author: Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital

Su Kaiyan Zhou Rongmin