Store medicines in summer right

Medicines often contain substances that are sensitive to high temperatures. Thus, the effect can significantly change, at worst, the ingredients are ineffective. The proper storage is therefore very important.

Basically, do not include drugs in rooms where the humidity and the room temperature to rise regularly above the norm. We are talking about the kitchen and the bathroom. Optimal storage is at a constant room temperature, dry, dark and locked, of course. In your own home, this can easily be done, but not on the road, and certainly not on vacation. In this case, some medications are particularly sensitive to heat. Patients who are dependent on chronic medication, must therefore be particularly well prepared. One example is insulin: It must be stored in the refrigerator. Dawned also tolerates no insulin temperatures above 37°C, without changing the effect. For such a sensitive drugs, there are cooler bags or coolers that can be connected to the cigarette lighter in your car.

Avoid mistakes and store medicines properly.

The Ministry of Health recommends that you always take a look at the packaging of the medication, because there is recorded the temperature at which the specimen be stored:

• Room temperature is 15-25°C (or, if indicated 15-30°C)
• In the fridge is 2 to 8°C
• Frozen is -18°C or colder

Slight variations are possible and unlikely to lead to an impairment. The more vital the drug, however, is more cautious should be patient. Direct sunlight can not tolerate medications in principle.

Recognize altered efficacy.

There are three possible consequences of inappropriate storage of drugs:

• The drug works attenuated
• The drug no longer works
• The drug is toxic

Even so it is vitally important to store the medication properly. If this is not possible, the packs and finally the agent itself must be carefully examined for changes in order to avoid dangerous consequences. A drug that tends naturally to an altered structure is provided by the manufacturer with an enlightening addition to the packaging. Changes that may indicate an unusable are:

• Creams, ointments or suppositories liquid
• Discolorations that are not advertised on the packaging
• Cracks in the immediate packaging
• Cracks in tablets / pills
• Inflated packaging
• Altered smell
• Loosening in liquids, which is not noted on the outer packaging

On vacation or on the road, it is particularly important to carefully store the medication and better not to use in doubt, but to get a replacement. This applies even if the changes after cooling are hardly visible yet. By the action of heat, the substances change. Thus, the high temperature to ensure that the active agents are separated from each other. For this reason alone is no longer recommended a dose.