Pharmaceutical companies have to follow strict guidelines when creating medications. They make drugs with consumers’ safety and health in mind. Most individuals understand that meds lose their potency over time, but things are in place to keep medicines stable and safe. Here’s how pharmaceutical companies keep medications stable.
Add Specific Storage Instructions
Those storage tips on the medication bottle are more than suggestions. Pharmaceutical companies add specific storage instructions to warn consumers not to ruin their medications. Not storing the drugs properly could result in the degradation of the pills. Follow these guidelines to help keep your medications safe:
- Keep it in a cool, dry place, like a dresser drawer or the kitchen cabinet.
- Keep the medication in the same container you received it.
- Talk with the pharmacist about storage instructions.
Many individuals store their medications in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Ideally, you should avoid this location, as the heat and humidity can damage pills and capsules. This harm makes the medicine less potent and could shorten its life span.
Create Temperature Control
Temperature plays a crucial role in pharmaceutical storage and stability. If you place your medications in an environment that’s too hot or cold, you risk damaging your drugs. Pharmaceutical companies suggest keeping your meds between 68 and 77 degrees. Some medications, like insulin, require refrigeration.
Add Inactive Ingredients To Stabilize
Medications have active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). These are the ingredients that deliver the intended outcome of the drugs. Then there are the inactive ingredients, or excipients, that chemists add to ensure the stability of the meds.
The inactive ingredients usually don’t have side effects on consumers. They also do more than stabilize, as they bind and cause the medication to operate properly. They’ll keep the drug from dissolving too early in your stomach or protecting against stomach issues.
Ensure you check the inactive ingredients for any allergies. If you’re unsure about the list of ingredients, ask your pharmacist.
Pharmaceutical companies want to keep your medications stable. Remember never to use expired meds. Take time to go through your drugs and toss any expired ones at the beginning of each year.
