Protect medicines from sun and heat

Cool medicines well in summer and protect against excessive heat

08/08/2014

With too much heat, medicines can lose their effectiveness. This is what the Drug Commission of the German Pharmacists (AMK) points out in view of the summer temperatures. Especially for long car journeys medicines should be stored accordingly and not exposed to direct sunlight. Most medicines have a storage temperature of less than 25 degrees.

Sun and heat can affect drug effectiveness
„If a drug is stored incorrectly, its effect may change. This is not always obvious from the outside“, explains pharmacist dr. Wolfgang Kircher from the AMK. This is especially true if the product is exposed to high heat and direct sunlight. So it could come at high temperatures overdose of drug patches. Even in asthma sprays, the sun causes heating that affects its dosage accuracy and effectiveness.

For some medicines, external signs indicate that the drug should no longer be used. Thus, suppositories melt in the sun, so that their active ingredient can be distributed unevenly. Consumers should then no longer use the suppositories, according to the AMK. Even creams and ointments can change due to the heat. Mostly the fat spoils. „If a medicine looks different than usual, you should stop taking the medicine or ask the pharmacist first“, emphasizes Kircher.

For a longer drive by car on vacation, medicines should be stored under the front seat or in the trunk, not on the dashboard or the trunk rest. However, the interior of the car in the summer can heat up very much, so that additional cooling measures may be necessary. Kircher recommends a cooler to store the medication in the car. „However, if a drug has direct contact with a cooling element, it can freeze - that too changes the effect. Therefore wrap the medication in the cooler bag in a towel or do without cooling elements.“

Some medicines must always be stored refrigerated, informs the AMK. These include insulins or make the so-called biologicals. (Ag)