Out with the Old

Photo of woman looking at pill bottle in medicine cabinet Has more than a year passed since you took a good look inside your medicine cabinet?

If so, it’s time to pitch those outdated drugs. Medications lose their effectiveness over time—and can sometimes become toxic.

Toss medications that:

Are past their expiration date—if there is no such date, ask a pharmacist what the shelf life is for that medication
Have changed color or texture, or look or smell odd
Were prescribed for a specific illness that has since cleared up

Throw old medicine in the trash, but first mix it with coffee grounds, cat litter, or another undesirable waste product. This ensures that children and animals that may get into garbage bins won’t get them.

This also is a good time to choose the best spot to store medications. Most drugs should be kept in a cool, dry place. For instance, the bedroom is usually better than the bathroom, which gets hot and humid from the shower.


Home Stress-Proof Your Holiday Season Plan on Keeping Asthma in Check A Closer Look: Using a Peak-Flow Meter Paramount’s Access Standards Keep Your Heart Healthy New Findings on Smoking While Pregnant: QUIT EARLY Preferred Drug List Changes for 2010 SPECIAL SECTION: His & Hers Preventive Health Care When Blood Sugar Creeps Up Making Sense of Prescription Drug Labels HEALTH LITERACY: Improve Your Health and Happiness Paramount’s Tobacco Cessation Program Out with the Old Is It Time Your Teen Had a Checkup? Does Your Child Have a Cold or an Allergy? Need Another Good Reason to Get the Flu Shot? Personal Call Center Representatives Past Issues		Out with the Old Has more than a year passed since you took a good look inside your medicine cabinet? If so, it’s time to pitch those outdated drugs. Medications lose their effectiveness over time—and can sometimes become toxic. Toss medications that: Are past their expiration date—if there is no such date, ask a pharmacist what the shelf life is for that medication Have changed color or texture, or look or smell odd Were prescribed for a specific illness that has since cleared up Throw old medicine in the trash, but first mix it with coffee grounds, cat litter, or another undesirable waste product. This ensures that children and animals that may get into garbage bins won’t get them. This also is a good time to choose the best spot to store medications. Most drugs should be kept in a cool, dry place. For instance, the bedroom is usually better than the bathroom, which gets hot and humid from the shower.