Most medicines are tested to stay stable below 25 °C. In much of Kenya an unshaded room can pass that on a hot afternoon, and a car parked in the sun passes it easily.
Where to keep medicines at home
- Choose the coolest, driest cupboard in the house — usually an interior bedroom shelf, not the kitchen or bathroom.
- Keep medicines in their original pack. The pack carries the batch number and expiry date, and blister foil protects tablets from moisture.
- Store out of the sight and reach of children, ideally in a lockable box.
- Only refrigerate a medicine if the label says so. Putting an ordinary tablet in the fridge can add moisture, not protect it.
Signs a medicine may have spoiled
Tablets that have changed colour, crumbled or stuck together, capsules that look soft, creams that have separated, or syrups that have changed smell or formed crystals should be taken to a pharmacy rather than used.
Travelling with medicines
Carry them in hand luggage rather than a hot boot or checked bag, keep insulin and other cold-chain medicines in a cool bag with a gel pack (not touching the ice), and take enough for the trip plus a few days.
Disposing of old medicines
Do not flush medicines or throw them in an open rubbish pit. Bring expired or unused medicines to the pharmacy and we will dispose of them properly.