Protect medication from heat and refrigerate

Many medicines must be stored in the refrigerator
Basically, almost all medications should be protected from heat. Some medicines need a cool storage in order to remain permanently effective. Around 26 million refrigerated medicines were given by German pharmacies last year.

Medicines in the fridge
It is known to most people that it is necessary to protect medicines from the heat in summer. But even if the temperatures are not so high, some medicines need cooling to stay effective. These belong in the fridge, the vegetable compartment is the best place for it. Regine Quinke, spokeswoman for the pharmacists in Wuppertal, gave important tips in a contribution of the "Wuppertal Rundschau". "Whether a drug must be stored cool, is usually on the packaging or on the leaflet. In a consultation, we also point out the patient, "says the expert.

Store medicines in the refrigerator during the heat. Image: Photographee.eu - fotolia

Best to pack in the vegetable compartment
If the words "store in the refrigerator" are printed, this means that the medication should be kept at a constant between two and eight degrees Celsius. "Ideally, you keep medicines that belong in the fridge in the vegetable compartment. Here is the optimal temperature for medication. It's also relatively evenly cool, "said Quinke. Under no circumstances, such drugs should be stored in the storage of the refrigerator door, because there is no uniformly cool temperature because of the frequent opening. Medicaments that are stored too warm may lose their effect. Patients are not necessarily aware of this and therefore do not know that drug therapy is no longer effective.

Cold chain must not be interrupted
For example, medicines that always need to be refrigerated are different types of insulins. In addition, for most vaccines, for example, for hepatitis A / B or tetanus a cooling requirement. And also so-called biologicals, which are used against rheumatism or cancer, must be permanently cooled. If the packaging says "Store and transport refrigerated", the cold chain must not be interrupted under any circumstances. So when transporting home, care must be taken that the medicines are refrigerated. For this one can use, among other things, insulated pockets or styrofoam containers, wherein direct contact between medicaments and cooling elements should be avoided at all costs. Since freezing the medication may reduce the effect, it is best to wrap it with a towel to avoid direct contact with cooling elements.

About 26 million cool prescriptions were given
Cold-chain medications include measles, mumps and rubella vaccines and yellow fever. In addition, some metered dose inhalers against asthma and some glaucoma eye drops need to be cooled continuously. As the Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations (ABDA) announced in a press release, in 2014, around 26 million refrigerated medicines were sold in German pharmacies at the expense of the statutory health insurance. The levy on private prescription or self-medication was not recorded. About a third of the 26 million packs had to be cooled by the patient not only at home, but also when being transported from the pharmacy home. (Ad)