Preservation Of Medicines: Everything You Need To Know
The preservation of medicines is essential so that they can maintain their pharmacological activity. They cannot be stored or preserved anywhere, but must be done in a cool and dry place.
If you want to keep the drug in optimal conditions of safety and efficacy until it reaches its expiration date, you must follow some storage rules so that the drugs can maintain their characteristics in optimal conditions.
Do you know what factors affect the preservation of medicines?
The stability of a drug can be affected by a number of factors, including the following:
Temperature
One of the factors that most affects the storage of a medicine is temperature. This is why it is always remembered that they must be kept in cool and dry places. In addition, you have to make sure that they do not suffer sudden changes in temperature.
Pharmaceutical form
When preserving medicines, their pharmaceutical form must also be taken into account. If it is a liquid pharmaceutical form, such as solutions, suspensions or syrups, in general, they are more unstable than tablets or capsules. Liquid forms can have their properties altered more easily than solid pharmaceutical forms.
Multi-dose medications
Multi-dose medications are those that are opened several times for administration, such as syrups and eye drops. The fact of opening them several times may alter the stability of the medicine and pose risks. Since the possible alteration of its stability can affect its effect and safety.
Therefore, when storing multi-dose medications, you have to bear in mind that their validity is not determined by the expiration date, but from when it is opened. This period of use is normally indicated on the package insert, and is shorter than the expiration date.
To avoid possible errors, it is advisable to write down the opening date on the container, so you can know exactly its period of validity. In any case, you avoid problems if you dispose of the medicine that you have left when you finish the treatment.
Tips for storing medicines
Generally, medicines can be at room temperature, with the exception of those that require special storage conditions. Some Recommendations for the preservation of medicines are:
- Store in a cool, dry place where there are no sudden changes in temperature.
- Do not put them near the electrical appliances.
- Keep the original container.
- Use pillboxes for a few days.
- Do not store them in the bathroom or kitchen, they are places where there is more humidity and the temperature undergoes changes.
- Avoid places that may be within the reach of children.
Other recommendations for the preservation of medicines
For a good preservation of medicines, choose the most suitable place for it. If you are going to travel and you need to bring cold storage medications, find a way that you can maintain the conditions that your medication needs.
The expiration date is a very important factor to ensure its effectiveness. Before you start using a medicine, in addition to reading the package leaflet, check its expiration date. It should not be confused with the validity time, which is the time it has once the container is opened.
Keep packaging and leaflet
To achieve proper conservation, look at the packaging and the leaflet, the best way of conservation is indicated there. You can also see the expiration date, and if you have to take any special measures to take it. In addition, it is advisable that the medications that you have expired as well as those that you no longer use should be withdrawn by taking them to the collection point at your usual pharmacy.
Change of appearance
You should not take any medication that is outside the period indicated on its packaging. Nor should you do it if when you take it you see something that is not in good condition. The presence of Turbidity as well as the color change indicate that the drug has undergone changes in its stability.
Conclution
When the preservation of medicines is not adequate, their appearance can be altered. If you are going to take a medicine and you notice any alteration in its appearance, you should not use it.
