Spring Cleaning the Medicine Cabinet

By Angela Marshall, MD

While spring is traditionally the time to deep clean your house and freshen your closet, your medicine cabinet also needs some TLC.

An annual inspection of medications prescription and over-the-counter can help keep you and your family safe.

Any expired medications without a double need to be put aside for disposal. Expired medications lose their effectiveness and can be harmful. Medications that have not expired but have been opened for more than a year are also risky and must go. And if you have a medication that has changed color or smells funny regardless of expirations or usage it too should be discarded

Proper disposal of your unwanted medications is important. One option is to take them to your local drop-off location during the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 28.

The DEA will set up drop-off locations around the country to collect unused and unwanted prescriptions and over the counter medications.The items collected will be properly disposed of through incineration. You can find the locations online at http //www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug-disposal/takeback.

If you are not near or unavailable to go to a DEA drop-off location, contact your local pharmacy for assistance. Do not just flush your medications down the toilet or throw them in the trash.

In addition to an audit of your medications, you should also check your hygiene (i.e. facial soaps, sunscreen and makeup) and first-aid products. As with your medications, you will want to dispose of any expired or open products.

Once you have emptied your medicine cabinet off all the unwanted products, you should restock needed prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. In addition, you should be sure to stock up on your medicine cabinet essentials to help avoid that late-night dash to the drugstore.

Basic items to help treat minor ailments include your preferred pain relievers, cold, cough and allergy medications, digestive aides, bandages, antiseptic and sunscreen.