Medicine Cabinet: When to Toss Medications

Refresh Your Medicine Cabinet

Is your medicine cabinet stocked with the right medicines for your entire family for this year's flu and cold season? Well, before you wait until the middle of the night, only to discover that the pharmacy shelves are bare, our experts share important tips on how to restock your medicine cabinet and what you should toss before you do.

Stacia Woodcock- "Restock your medicine cabinet now, before shelves run out"

-Before purchasing new medicine, toss everything and anything with an expired date

-Toss prescriptions from old injuries or illnesses, especially antibiotics

-AAP recommends you no longer use thermometers with mercury

Tori Kropp, RN- "Dispose your medications properly"

-Don't flush medications down the toilet- it's a hazard to environment

-Instead, crush solids or dissolve in water and mix w absorbent mixture

-Place mixture in plastic bag

-Remove all personal info from bottles before tossing

Dyan Eybergen, RN - "There are essentials that every parent needs"

-Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, & Aspirin for pain and fever

-Children and teens should not take aspirin

-For coughs, look for medication that has suppressant

-Use expectorants to help with coughs that are mucousy

-Calcium Carbonate tablets work great for stomach pains, idigestion, and heartburn

-Pepto-Bismol is perfect for Diarrhea

-To treat allergies, stock up on Antihistamines

-Benadryl and Hydrocortisone are essentials for allergic reactions like hives and rash

-Infant Motrin and Tylenol Recalled!

More videos on Walgreens Health Center ... Browse all 50 videos

Showing the Latest of 1 Comment

MWMayhem
2 yearss ago

Last year my kids and I got sick all at the same time while my husband was away in the midst of his training for Afghanistan. Those days were the worst and I wish I had restocked on the medications we needed. I was really lucky that the pharmacist near my town gathered everything we needed so all I had to do was go in and pay at the counter and he was nice enough to wait next to my car while I paid so I wouldn't have to take the kids with me. Lesson learned. Now every fall I go through all the medications and re-stock for the next flu season. I think it's also a good idea because sometimes some medications get recalled and the only time you think of your medication is when you need it.

Post new comment

Respected advice from top experts.

Parents Ask is a unique resource that brings together the leading parenting experts to help families tackle the daily challenges of raising children.

About / Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Disclaimer / Social Media Policy / Sitemap © 2010 Parents Ask. Parents Ask is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A DECA Company. All rights reserved.

PARENTS ASK and its Affiliated Parties neither endorse, nor are responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement on the PARENTS ASK "Site" located at the URL: www.parentsask.com or contained in any video distributed therefrom. Under no circumstances will PARENTS ASK or any Affiliated Parties be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on Content obtained through either the Content on PARENTS ASK Site and/or any postings on the community areas of the PARENTS ASK Site. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any Content available through PARENTS ASK Site and/or the community areas of the PARENTS ASK Site. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, with respect to your evaluation of any specific Content, including but not limited to financial, health, or lifestyle Content appearing on the PARENTS ASK Site. The full text of this "Summary Disclaimer Language" can be viewed here and is also contained in the "Terms of Use" .