Medicines and Prescriptions: What to Keep and How to Store It

This is general information from public health sources, not medical advice. What is right for you depends on your health, age, other medicines and where you live. Ask a pharmacist. They are a free and underused resource, and they can tell you what to keep, what to avoid combining and how long things last.

NHS trust guidance for a home medicine cabinet lists, for common illnesses and minor injuries:

• simple pain relief, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen (if suitable for you),
• something for indigestion or heartburn,
• antihistamines for allergies, hay fever and bites,
• oral rehydration salts, which replace fluids and salts lost through sickness and diarrhoea,
• a decongestant for short-term relief of a blocked nose,
• antiseptic cream or spray,
• a thermometer, plasters, bandages, sterile dressings, tweezers and eye wash (see our first aid guide).

Not everyone can take everything on that list, since some medicines are unsuitable for children, pregnancy, asthma, kidney or stomach problems, or combined with other drugs. Check with a pharmacist before buying, and read the leaflet.

• Keep them in the original packaging. Great Ormond Street Hospital says to do this so you know what it is, who it was prescribed for, how to use it and when it expires. It also warns that emptying medicines into another container can cause mix-ups, and some medicines work less well out of their blister packs.
• Keep the leaflet. It has storage instructions and side-effect information.
• Cool, dry and dark. Light, temperature and moisture affect some medicines. The bathroom is often the wrong place because it is damp and warm. A high shelf in a bedroom is often better.
• Out of sight and reach of children. Lock them away. Also lock up things you might not think of as medicines, such as vitamins, skin creams and mouthwash.
• Some need the fridge. Follow the label.

Opened liquids, creams and eye drops often have a much shorter life once opened. Write the opening date on the box when you start them.

GOSH suggests going through the cabinet about every three months and removing anything out of date. Do not hoard medicines you no longer need. Take unwanted or expired medicines to a pharmacy for safe disposal. Do not flush them or put them in the bin.

This is one place where the food rotation habit carries over directly. Put the dates in your tracker, and the cabinet check becomes a part of your regular stock check.

If someone in the household takes regular prescription medicine, the useful steps are practical ones:

• Reorder in good time, rather than when the last packet is empty. Ask your pharmacy or prescriber how far ahead you can reorder.
• Keep a written list of each person's medicines, doses and allergies in the kit, and a copy on your phone.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist about a reasonable safety margin for you, and whether a small extra supply is possible. Rules differ by country and by medicine, and some cannot legally be stockpiled.
• Do not ration or change doses without medical advice.
• Keep a note of pharmacy and doctor numbers.

For insulin and other refrigerated medicines, talk to your care team about a power-cut plan.

See Great Ormond Street Hospital: How safe is your medicine cabinet, NHS medicines cabinet guidance and NHS self-care information. Always follow the advice of your own doctor or pharmacist.