{"id":520494,"date":"2026-04-09T00:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/520494\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T00:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:13:09","slug":"how-to-use-and-store-medicines-safely-at-home-according-to-a-pharmacist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/520494\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use and store medicines safely at home, according to a pharmacist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not taking them with food or water as directed <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen taking medicines with water, we normally expect people to take at least a glass of water,\u201d Braund, the former head of the University of Waikato\u2019s school of pharmacy and biomedical sciences, says.<\/p>\n

That dissolves the medicine and helps it to be absorbed much faster.<\/p>\n

Food is often recommended with medicines that can irritate the gut or trigger nausea \u2013 and that doesn\u2019t have to be a full meal.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor most people, a sandwich or something light is enough,\u201d Braund says.<\/p>\n

\u201cA quick cookie probably isn\u2019t going to be enough if you find those medicines quite irritant to your gut.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some foods should be avoided with certain medication \u2013 for example, statins can\u2019t be taken with grapefruit as it will metabolise the drug too quickly.<\/p>\n

Forgetting to take medication or accidentally doubling up<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time if you accidentally take an extra dose, it really has quite minor implications,\u201d Braund says.<\/p>\n

Exceptions include the oral contraceptive pill, which should be taken within a certain timeframe each day, and blood thinners like warfarin.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you double dose on [warfarin], because the dose is tailored to your current blood clotting ability, that can actually be quite risky for people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking expired medication <\/p>\n

All medicines degrade over time. While paracetamol can last for years, other medicines like antibiotics<\/a> need to be taken within days or weeks or they risk losing their potency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just not as effective, so while you think you\u2019re still taking medicine that\u2019s going to help you, you\u2019re really just not getting enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eye drops also expire within seven to 30 days once opened as they can become contaminated. <\/p>\n

Taking pills that haven\u2019t been prescribed to you<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common to \u201cborrow\u201d pain relief or over-the-counter medications, but you shouldn\u2019t take someone else\u2019s prescription<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You might react or experience side effects, or it could interact with other medicines you\u2019ve taken.<\/p>\n

A course of antibiotics shouldn\u2019t be shared, as it won\u2019t deliver the right dose. <\/p>\n

Not finishing a course of medication<\/p>\n

There are some exceptions; for example, if you\u2019re on a months-long course of doxycycline for acne, it\u2019s not a big deal if you don\u2019t finish it, Braund says.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s important to finish targeted medications like antibiotics. If you don\u2019t, you can develop resistance to it next time.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we have widespread resistance to an antibiotic, it loses all its effectiveness for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not reading or checking instructions<\/p>\n

Patients can get their dose wrong if they\u2019re not following the instructions on the label \u2013 and in some cases, the labels themselves can be incorrect.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important patients know what it is they take,\u201d Braund says.<\/p>\n

If the label doesn\u2019t match your prescriber\u2019s verbal instructions, let them know \u2013 and ask for information on how your medications work if you need it.<\/p>\n

\"It'sIt’s important to store medications in the right place. <\/p>\n

Storing medicines <\/p>\n

Storing medicines in the wrong place <\/p>\n

Some liquids, such as antibiotics, must be stored in the fridge as directed. And some should not be kept in cold environments. It\u2019s important to read the instructions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you store kids\u2019 liquid paracetamol in the fridge, sometimes it crystallises. It\u2019s too cold for it, so normally it\u2019ll say to store it at room temperature.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to keep all medicines out of reach of children for safety.<\/p>\n

Storing different pills in one container or bag <\/p>\n

If you take several different pills a day<\/a>, you might mix them into one container or pack them together when travelling.<\/p>\n

The problem is you might not remember which pill is which, even if they are different colours \u2013 so it\u2019s recommended to keep them separate.<\/p>\n

That also helps others, like family members or emergency staff, to know what you need to take.<\/p>\n

Disposing of medicines<\/p>\n

Flushing medicines or putting them in the bin<\/p>\n

If your medicine has expired or you no longer need it, you might be tempted to throw it out or flush it down the toilet. Instead, you should return it to the pharmacy, where it can be disposed of correctly and safely.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce things go into landfill, you think you\u2019re getting rid of it, but nothing\u2019s ever really gone,\u201d says Braund, adding that medications can leach into the environment.<\/p>\n

They can end up in the waterways and oceans and affect marine life. Plastic packaging and the propellants from inhalers can also damage the environment. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a really important area for big pharma around sustainability and around eco impact, and trying to reduce it where they can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The way medicines are dispensed in New Zealand often leads to wastage, Braund says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think most people try to do the right thing when they can, but waste is inevitable when people get side effects to a medicine and change medicines or change dose … it\u2019s just part of the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethany Reitsma is a lifestyle writer who has been with the NZ Herald since 2019. She specialises in all things health and wellbeing and is passionate about telling Kiwis\u2019 real-life stories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Not taking them with food or water as directed \u201cWhen taking medicines with water, we normally expect people…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520495,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[17065,4666,1841,16410,32217,181126,102,2294,1849,15872,181125,6591,13886,10269,16929,15918,114055,137472,45241,53543,31194,68847,1850,101750,56,54,55,181127,9352,1426,11555],"class_list":{"0":"post-520494","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-according","9":"tag-and","10":"tag-at","11":"tag-down","12":"tag-drink","13":"tag-flush","14":"tag-health","15":"tag-home","16":"tag-how","17":"tag-know","18":"tag-matters","19":"tag-medication","20":"tag-medications","21":"tag-medicines","22":"tag-much","23":"tag-pharmacist","24":"tag-pills","25":"tag-safely","26":"tag-shouldnt","27":"tag-some","28":"tag-store","29":"tag-taking","30":"tag-to","31":"tag-toilet","32":"tag-uk","33":"tag-united-kingdom","34":"tag-unitedkingdom","35":"tag-unwanted","36":"tag-use","37":"tag-water","38":"tag-when"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/520495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}