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Sunday November 24, 2024

Why bathroom cabinets are not safe for medication storage?

Capsules, tablets can be harmed by heat, moisture that is why they must be kept in suitable place

By Web Desk
January 12, 2024
A cabinet stored with medications. — Patricia Marie
A cabinet stored with medications. — Patricia Marie

Medication kept in the bathroom cabinet might have unfavourable, even harmful, effects as they tend to have higher moisture content than other rooms in a house. 

Not only can this higher humidity cause the mirror to fog up, but it may also affect any medications kept in the bathroom.

“Medications should not be kept in the bathroom or a bathroom cabinet,” Shazia Zafar, RPh, a pharmacist from Lake Oswego, OR, told Health. “The humidity from the shower can seep in, which can break down your medicines.”

The National Library of Medicine states that humidity and moisture can weaken the effectiveness of prescription drugs or cause them to spoil before their original expiration date.

The potency of a drug is important since you can't be sure you're getting the right dose if it fluctuates.

Capsules and tablets can be harmed by heat and moisture. For instance, aspirin may be broken down into vinegar and salicylic acid due to atmospheric changes, which may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

However, this doesn't indicate that bathroom humidity will always have a detrimental effect on drugs.

“Most homes have ventilation in the bathroom, which diminishes the impact of humidity,” Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, an associate professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, told Health.