How long can common household medicines store?
I believe that every home must have a medicine cabinet or a corner for common medicines. We never know when our health will fall ill, when we will get a headache, feel feverish, or encounter insect bites or stings. Having common medicines at home will give you peace of mind. But have you ever checked how long the medicines in your cabinet have been kept? Because the longer it is, the more the medicines will deteriorate and may reach their expiration date.
Expired medicine, how dangerous is it?
Even though it is medicine, it can be dangerous if it expires. Even though the medicine has a good manufacturing process, the quality of the medicine does not last forever because each medicine has different stable substances. The longer the time passes, the quality of the medicine will gradually decrease. This is the reason why the expiration date must be specified. The expiration date of each medicine can be seen on the label or packaging of the medicine.
It is usually stated in Thai as “Expired medicine” follow by the date or in English as “Exp. Date”, for example, “Expired medicine 2/9/2571” or “Exp. 2/9/2028” means that this medicine will expire on September 2, 2571. Some expired medicines will change from medicine to poison and have adverse effects on the user. Therefore, ทางเข้า ufabet using expired medicines, in addition to finding medicines that have deteriorated and do not affect the treatment, can also be life-threatening.
Some medicines may not be packaged, or if you buy them from a pharmacy, the pharmacist will sell them separately. So how do you know if the medicine has expired?
Just try to observe it easily as follows:
1. General tablets,
such as painkillers, antihistamines, whether round, oval, or any shape, if the expiration date is not specified, can be stored for no more than 1 year. If you notice that the tablets are greasy, broken, moist, chipped, or discolored, you can throw them away without waiting for 1 year.
2. Capsules
have a shelf life of no more than 1 year, just like tablets. However, if the tablets break apart, become swollen, become moist, or the capsule color changes, it means it is time to discard them.
3. Liquid medicines with a small amount of sediment,
such as black cough syrup, traditional medicine, women’s medicine, and elemental medicine. Should stored for no more than 6 months after opening. It must be observed whether the color, smell, or taste has change. When shaking the bottle vigorously, the medicine must return to its original consistency. If it not original or the sediment is stuck together tightly. It means that the medicine has deteriorated.
4. Liquid medicine that is clear liquid,
such as children’s flatulence liquid or syrup, if it is found. That there is a sediment or is cloudy, like there is a light membrane floating. Or the smell, color, or taste change, it means. That the medicine has deteriorate or is spoile. Discard it immediately and should not store for more than 6 months.
5. Water-soluble powder drugs ,
such as some antibiotics, when their quality deteriorates, the powder will form into a hard lump and cannot dissolve in water. Or there will be steam or water droplets on the container. When mixed with water, this type of drug has a very short shelf life of no more than 7 days at room temperature and 14 days if refrigerated.
6. Eye drops, eye ointments , after opening, have a shelf life of only 1 month. Anyone who knows that they have store for more than 1 month, throw them away. But don’t forget to check if there are preservatives mixed in. Because if there no preservatives mixed in, you should use them up within 1 day!
7. Ointment or cream medicine
popular medicines in the home, whether it is balm, insect repellent ointment or various massage oils, should not store for more than 6 months. If the medicine starts to separate, changes color, texture, viscosity, or has liquid leaking out on the surface of the medicine and has a rancid smell, it is a sign that the medicine has deteriorated.
8. Clear gel medicines , in addition to not being store for more than 6 months. If it found that gel. That was once clear has become cloudy and the medicine does not stick together as a single substance, it means that the medicine has deteriorated. In the case of alcohol gel that every house must have, it can stored for up to 3 years if it is not open. But if it is open, it should use within 3 months.