Superdrug pharmacist's winter painkiller reminder - paracetamol and ibuprofen

Superdrug pharmacist's winter painkiller reminder - paracetamol and ibuprofen Pharmacist reveals the five medicines you should never keep in your bathroom A pharmacist has issued an important reminder to anyone who takes painkillers, including paracetamol and ibuprofen. With the weather turning colder, Rachel Jones, Pharmacy Superintendent at Superdrug, is urging people to be careful about where they keep their medication in a fresh reminder ahead of winter. Many medicines need to be kept cool, dry, and away from excess heat and moisture. Rachel Jone explains: "It’s incredibly common to keep medicines in the bathroom because it feels like the natural place for them, but bathrooms can actually be one of the more challenging environments in the home for medicine storage." She added: "Every medicine is different, so you should always follow the storage instructions on its packaging or patient information leaflet. However, heat, steam and moisture can affect the stability of some medicines, which is why you'll often see instructions telling you to store them in a cool, dry place. "A bedroom drawer or cupboard away from radiators and direct sunlight may be more suitable for many medicines, provided they remain safely out of the sight and reach of children. And importantly, don't automatically move everything into the fridge either, medicines should only be refrigerated when their specific storage instructions tell you to." 1. Everyday painkillers Pain-relief packets such as paracetamol and ibuprofen are among the medicines people may instinctively keep in their bathroom cabinets. However, tablets and capsules should be stored according to the conditions specified on their packaging, and a humid bathroom isn't necessarily the best location. Medicines such as everyday painkillers should always be stored according to the specific conditions outlined on their packaging, rather than in environments with excessive humidity. It is important to keep them in their original containers rather than transferring them to unlabelled packaging to ensure protection and preserve essential usage and storage information. Even if they are still within their expiry date, you should not assume they are safe. This is especially true if they show visible changes in appearance, texture, or smell, or if they appear cracked, chipped, or sticking together, in which case a pharmacist should be consulted. Rachel says: "Moisture is particularly important to consider with solid medicines such as tablets and capsules. Keep them in their original packaging rather than transferring them into an unlabelled container, as that packaging is there to help protect the medicine as well as provide important information about how to use and store it. "If tablets have visibly changed in appearance, texture or smell, or are cracked, chipped or sticking together, don't simply assume they're fine because they're still within their expiry date. Speak to your pharmacist about what to do with them." For many people, the bathroom cabinet is the obvious home for everyday health essentials. But despite its name, experts warn that a medicine cabinet in your bathroom may not be the best place to keep your medication. Where you store medication is important during the winter because low outdoor temperatures, combined with indoor heating and increased use of hot showers or baths, create significant fluctuations in temperature and humidity. These changes in heat, steam, and moisture can compromise the stability and effectiveness of various medications. 2. Antihistamine tablets Hay fever might feel like a summer problem, but antihistamines can be used for a range of allergic symptoms throughout the year. Rachel explains: "Antihistamine tablets should also be kept according to the instructions provided with the medicine. Rather than automatically putting them in the bathroom cabinet, check the packaging and find an appropriate dry storage location. "It’s also worth remembering that not every runny nose or bout of sneezing is necessarily an allergy. As we head further into autumn, colds and other respiratory illnesses become part of the picture too, so speak to a pharmacist if you're unsure what might be causing your symptoms or which treatment is appropriate." 3. The contraceptive pill The bathroom may seem like a convenient place to keep contraception if it forms part of your morning routine, but oral contraceptives are medicines too and should be stored according to their individual instructions. Rachel says: "Anything you take every day can become so ingrained in your routine that you stop thinking about how you're storing it. "Your contraceptive pill should remain in its original packaging and be stored in line with the instructions supplied with it. If you have any concerns about how your contraception has been stored, or whether it could have been affected, don't guess. Speak to a pharmacist or healthcare professional for advice." Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. 4. Prescription tablets and capsules From medicines for long-term conditions to short courses of treatment, prescription medication can have specific storage requirements that vary by product. Rachel explains: "Prescription medicines are particularly important because there isn't one storage rule that applies to everything. Some need protection from moisture or light, while others have specific temperature requirements. "Always read the label and patient information leaflet rather than assuming that because one medicine can live in a particular cupboard, another can too. And never remove prescription medication from its packaging simply because you'd prefer how it looks in a bathroom container. "The original packaging carries important information and, for some medicines, can also help protect the product. If you are using any aids to help with your prescription medication that requires them to be removed from their original packaging, speak to a pharmacist who will be able to advise on their suitability for this purpose." 5. Medicines that require refrigeration Perhaps surprisingly, the opposite mistake can also occur, assuming that keeping a medicine colder must mean it is safer. Some medicines, including certain injections, creams, ointments and eye drops may require refrigeration, while many others do not. Rachel says: "The fridge isn't a universal solution for medicines. If a medicine needs refrigeration, this should be clearly stated in its storage instructions, and maintaining the correct temperature can be important to its stability. Equally, putting medicine in the fridge when it isn't meant to be there isn't necessarily better. The safest rule is a simple one: follow the storage instructions for that individual product."