​​How To Store Your Medicines Properly

Medicines should always be kept away from children in a cool, dry place, protected from light and refrigerated when necessary. Improper storage can affect the effectiveness and shelf life of your medicine. The following are important medicine storage principles.

Medicines should be kept in a cool, dry place and protected from light.

• Exposure to light, heat and moisture can accelerate the breakdown of medicines, which may reduce their efficacy or cause superficial changes, e.g. discolouration.
• In a warm and humid country like Singapore, appropriate storage is thus particularly important.

"It is good practice to read the label or leaflet that comes with your medicine as it may require special storage conditions," say​ ​​pharmacists from the Department of Pharmacy​ at KK Women's and Children's Hospital​ (KKH), a member of the SingHealth​ group.

Liquid formulations, such as syrups and suspensions, can support the growth of micro-organisms.

• As microbial growth is inhibited by refrigeration, liquid preparations without preservatives should be stored in the fridge.
• For medicines that require refrigeration, please store in an area within the refrigerator that maintains consistent temperature.

Conversely, the effectiveness of preservatives increases with temperature. Therefore, preserved preparations should not be refrigerated, unless specified by the manufacturer. An example is Cetirizine oral solution that contains parabens as preservatives.

Medicines should always be kept away from children.

• Poisoning incidents involving children are often attributable to the accidental ingestion of medicines.
• These are usually preventable if medicines are stored appropriately.
• • Therefore, medicines should always be kept in a locked drawer/cabinet or at higher levels, beyond the reach of children.

  * Medicine that has changed colour, consistency or odour should never be used regardless of expiry.References: Lowe R.A. Storage, stability and in-use shelf-life guidelines for non-sterile medicines (2001) ConsumerMedSafety.org

  Ref: V10