People spring cleaning who find expired medicine in their household medicine kit should consult with pharmacists at community pharmacies, the Taiwan Pharmacist Association said.
Community pharmacists are often asked if expired medicine can still be used, especially at this time of the year, and one pharmacist has even been consulted about medicine that expired in 2002, but was still stored in the family medicine kit, it said.
The association said it held a “national medicine kit cleaning day” on Sunday last week and community pharmacists planned to continue promoting the idea for the following two weeks, teaching people how to prepare a household medicine kit and to properly store medicine.
According to an association survey, nearly 80 percent of pharmacies are open at least 12 hours a day, nearly 40 percent are open all year round and more than 30 percent are open six days a week, so people should take advantage of their convenience.
The association suggested that people make a list of the medication they need to store at home, including medication for common injuries and illnesses, as well as medicine for travel and repeat prescriptions.
It said repeat prescriptions that are due to run out during the Lunar New Year holiday should be purchased as soon as possible.
The association urged people to write down the date they open packages, keep eye drops at room temperature — with the exception of certain types which must be kept on the bottom layer of a refrigerator — and throw them away after a month.
Insulin should be kept in the refrigerator before being used and at room temperature thereafter, and it should also be used within a month, it said.
It also suggested people keep anal suppositories at room temperature, as well as cough syrup and liquid antacid.
They should be discarded if not used within one or two weeks.
Tablets, pills and ointments should be stored at room temperature, away from sunlight, and preferably used within six months, it said.
The association said the principles for storing medicine is to avoid sunlight, heat and humidity; keep medicine for external and internal use separate; keep the instructions with drugs; and throw away medicines about which they are uncertain.
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