How Healthy Is Your Medicine Cabinet? (NAPSA)—Two-thirds of Amer- 1 dee ican medicine cabinets are likely to house expired or nearly empty medications, according to a new so that consumers can easily see the expiration date and follow the study for www.mymedcab.com. The survey supports experts’ information about dosages and warnings on the back of the bottle advice that consumersincorporate a “check up”of their medicine cabinet into their seasonal routine to ensure it 1s equipped to handle family members’ potential illnesses and ailments. According to the survey, past its prime produce gets pitched more often than tablets. Eighty percent of Americans surveyed clean out their refrigerators sea- sonally, but only half that many (42 percent) clean out their medicine cabinets as the seasons change. More Americans (55 percent) also clean out their clothes closets seasonally. “People should make a medicine cabinet check up part of their seasonal rituals just like changing smoke alarm batteries,” said Dr. Robert Piepho, Ph.D., FCP, and dean of the school of pharmacy at the University of Missouri in KansasCity. “It’s really important for people to give their medicine cabinets a good once-over to ensure that they are familiar with their medications, that all medications are upto-date and properly stored, and that they are equipped with essential products,” Piepho said. Check Up CheckList To help consumers analyze and improve the health of their home medicine cabinets, www.mymed cab.com, sponsored by the makers of Tylenol and Johnson & Johnson- Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals, suggest they follow “the three R’s”: READ thelabels and expiration dates and check dosing in- Medications should always be kept in their original packaging or package. Refilling travel-size bottles or combining medications Pt aS _ a . structions before administering any medications—following directions is crucial in ensuring accurate administration and effectiveness; e REMOVEall items that are beyond their expiration dates and those that are no longer used— expired medications may lose their potency after time; e RESTOCK expired medications and other essential items—as a way to meet the individual health needs of everyone in the home. When taking the time to “Read, Remove, and Restock” medicine cabinet contents, Piepho reminds consumersto check all of the places medicines are stored. Eighty-five percent of adults keep medication in at least one other location than their bathroom medicine cabinet, most often the kitchen (62 percent). Women often have medications stashed in their handbagsor brief- cases (36 percent). “Medicine cabinet check-up time is also a good time to ensure medications are properly stored,” said Piepho. “The best place for most medications is in a dry place away from sunlight. Bathroomsare often too damp and humid which can break down, degrade, or decrease the potency of medicines.” in one container can mean losing important information. It is equally important to talk to a doc- tor or pharmacist about any pos- sible drug interactions between two or more medicines that might be taken at the sametime. Medicine Cabinet Preparation When preparing for the cold and flu season, experts suggest stocking your medicine cabinet with medications from the following categories: pain relief (aceta- minophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin); allergy and sinus relief (antihistamine, decongestant, pain reliever); cold and flu relief (antitussive and expectorant); digestive health (anti-diarrheal, anti-gas, antacid, and acid re- ducer); and nighttime products (sleep aids). For consumers who have children, it is important to have the appropriate strength of children’s medicine. For more information about medicine cabinet essentials, visit www.mymedcab.com or talk to your pharmacist. McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, markets leading products such as Tylenol, Imodium A-D, St. Joseph, and Motrin IB, Johnson & Johnson-Merck ConsumerPhar- maceuticals Co., is a joint venture between twoof the nation’s largest healthcare companies marketing products including Pepcid Complete and Mylanta.
