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When’s the Last Time You Cleaned Your Medicine Cabinet? 7 Things Doctors Want You to Know

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1. Check Expiration Dates

Prescription medications and over-the-counter (OTC) staples like Tylenol, allergy meds, and topical creams all have a shelf life. While they may not suddenly become dangerous the day after they expire, their effectiveness can decline over time, or they could become unsafe because of how the drug compounds break down.

“Expired products can absolutely lose potency,” says Mike Ren, MD, a family physician at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “For many medications, this means they may not work as intended, which is especially concerning for [potentially lifesaving] medications like antibiotics, EpiPens, or heart medications.”

The expiration date — which indicates the period through which a product is known to remain stable and retain its strength, quality, and purity when stored according to label instructions — should be visible on the drug packaging.

 This may include the abbreviation EXP in front of the month, year, and sometimes a day.

 “If only the month and year are present, then the intended expiration date is the last day of that month,” says Sterling S. Elliott, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist and an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require supplements to have an expiration date on the label.

 But that doesn’t mean they’re exempt from a thorough medicine cabinet cleaning, says LaTasha Seliby Perkins, MD, a representative for the American Academy of Family Physicians and an associate professor in family medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Some supplements — including fish oil — are made with organic materials that can break down over time or with exposure to heat or oxygen via a process known as oxidation, which makes it especially important to discard them once they expire, Dr. Perkins explains.

When oxidized enough, fish oil can become rancid.

 And some studies have linked rancid fish oil to vascular inflammation, which can contribute to heart disease.

“If a supplement doesn’t have a date, you should replace it within six months to one year, regardless.”

2. Discard Unmarked Items

If you come across loose tablets or a mystery ointment you can’t identify, it’s safest to let it go.

“If a medication is unmarked or no longer in its original container, you can’t reliably confirm what it is, its dose, or its expiration. That’s a safety risk and should be discarded,” Dr. Ren says.

Loose, unmarked medications also pose a safety concern for others in the household, says Pamela F. Love, MD, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Naples Comprehensive Health in Naples, Florida. “Unmarked containers increase the risk of accidental toxic ingestions and poisonings, particularly in children, pets, and other vulnerable populations,” she says. Additionally, it’s important to store drugs in their original, labeled containers.

3. Check for Noticeable Changes

Changes in color, texture, smell, or consistency — like tablets that are chipped, stick together, or are softer than normal — can signal that a product is no longer effective or safe to use.

 This can occur with damage, tampering, exposure to the elements, or expiration.

One common example is aspirin, Dr. Elliott says. “When aspirin is past expiration, it breaks down into vinegar — and you can actually smell the scent of vinegar in the bottle when you open it.”

While this can be a helpful cue, Dr. Love says that some products don’t show any noticeable signs of change. “Just because an expired medication appears normal does not mean that it is safe to use.”

4. Know the Safest Way to Dispose of Items

Many medications pose risks to children, pets, and the environment, so it’s important not to throw them straight into the trash or flush them down the toilet.

“Improperly disposed medications increase the risk of discovery and misuse by others, intentional and unintentional ingestions, and environmental pollution,” Love says.

Instead, the safest option is to use a local drug take-back program — available at pharmacies, hospitals, or community collection events — where medications are properly and securely disposed of.

Or you can dispose of most OTC and prescription drugs at home by removing any personal information from the packaging, sealing them in a bag or container with an unappealing substance like coffee grounds or kitty litter, and tossing them in your curbside trash bin.

Check the FDA’s “Flush List” to confirm whether a medication is safe to dispose of in that way, along with the FDA’s list of drug take-back events and locations.

5. Consider the Best Storage Space

Because exposure to heat, air, light, and moisture can damage products and cause them to break down more quickly, it’s best to keep most medicines, supplements, and first-aid supplies in a cool, dry place. This might be a bedroom drawer, kitchen cabinet, or linen closet shelf that’s away from direct exposure to the elements and vents — and remains at room temperature.

 As Ren points out, some medications, such as insulin and certain migraine medications, require refrigeration — so these are exempt from the room-temperature storage recommendation.

It’s also important to ensure that supplies are easily accessible to you but safely stowed away from children, pets, and others who could be harmed.

 “If there are small children and vulnerable individuals who may have access, medications should be kept high out of reach and locked away,” says Love.

6. Keep Medicine Cabinet Basics Stocked

Experts recommend always having the following staples on hand.

  • Prescription medications, like those required to manage a diagnosed health condition, filled and up-to-date
  • Pain relievers, both oral and topical (such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers (NSAIDs), and medicated gels that contain salicylates (like Aspercreme)
  • Antihistamines for allergy relief
  • Thermometer to check for fever
  • Cold and cough support, including oral medications, cough syrup, and lozenges
  • Basic first-aid supplies, such as bandages, gauze, tweezers, and an antiseptic
  • Wound-cleaning supplies, such as hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol
  • Other topicals, such as sunscreen, aloe vera, and petroleum jelly
  • Any supplements, such as a multivitamin, that your healthcare provider has recommended

7. Reorganize What You Keep

After you’ve discarded expired or altered products and replaced the essentials, Elliott recommends setting up a system that allows you to find what you need quickly, easily, and safely.

Here are some expert-recommended steps.

  • Use labels. Clear, labeled bins or small containers help keep things organized and reduce the risk of mix-ups, Ren says, making your storage space safe and functional.
  • Group similar products together. Perkins suggests separating prescription and OTC medications, then organizing by formula or medical issue, depending on your needs — like putting all hypertension meds in one place, or storing all topicals together.
  • Separate “daily use” items. Ren recommends having a section of everyday essentials that’s separate from “sick day” or specialty items that aren’t part of your regular routine.
  • Maintain original packaging. Even if it’s a medication you take daily, be sure to store all medications in original containers, Ren says.
  • Position products appropriately. Perkins recommends keeping critical medications at eye level for easy access. “Frequently used products should be front and center, while less commonly used items can go toward the back,” she says. Additionally, any light-sensitive products should go in the back of the cabinet.
  • Post emergency contacts. Keeping a list of emergency contact numbers inside your medicine cabinet for easy access — including physicians, family members, and poison control — can be lifesaving, Love says. The Poison Control Center hotline is a great resource, available 24/7, for help in the event of accidental ingestion. “It’s a number that all emergency providers utilize and often know by heart: 800-222-1222.”

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