Storing your vitamins and prescription medicines in the same container can be dangerous and may increase your risk of misuse and noncompliance. Vitamins are nutrients supplemented to the diet and are generally recognized as safe. Prescription and non-prescription medications are substances foreign to the body that are used to prevent or treat a particular condition or relieve symptoms. Talk with your physician or pharmacist about the best way to store your vitamins and drugs.
Safety
Safety is a significant concern regarding storage of vitamins and medications. Vitamins and drugs are sensitive to light, heat, humidity and oxygen. Storing your vitamins and drugs in dark places of high temperature and humidity, such as the bathroom, may cause the products to lose stability and potency, and increase risk of growth of microorganisms. Research by A.N. Hiatt published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" in 2010 demonstrates that higher temperature and especially humidity affect stability and shelf life of vitamin C. If you consume vitamins or drugs that have become degraded from environmental conditions, you may incur risk of infections or inability to digest, absorb or metabolize the substance. CVS Pharmacy recommends that you discard vitamins and drugs that have expired, and store the ones that are fresh, especially those containing iron, in a locked cabinet out of reach from children. The bright colors of vitamin supplements may attract children. Research by Milton Tenenbein published in "Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine" in 2005 reports that poisoning from nonintentional ingestion of iron is a major cause of poisoning deaths in young children.
Misuse
Storing vitamins with medications may increase the risk of misuse that may lead to medical complications and even fatalities. The user may misidentify one product for the other, especially if the pills are similar in shape, color and texture. The label on the bottle may have instructions for one product that the user may think is for the other product. Reading and remembering instructions for taking vitamins and drugs is a big problem for the elderly. Research by Joshua Metlay published in the "Journal of the American Geriatrics Society" in 2005 discovered that a substantial proportion of older adults on high-risk medications do not recall receiving instructions for the use of their medications and do not use existing systems for organizing medication regimens. The research concludes that there is an immediate need for improved patient education and delivery of medication organization systems to reduce the risk of medication errors by older people.
Noncompliance
Drug compliance is a serious problem for patients and physicians. When patients do not take the right drug as prescribed in dosage and time of consumption, there is an increased risk of medical complications and poor outcome. Research by Boris Van Wijk published in the "Journal of Hypertension" in 2004 discovered that non-compliance is significantly associated with change in antihypertensive medication regimens among patients with high blood pressure.
References
- "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemis ry"; Influence of Simultaneous Variations in Temperature and Relative Humidity on Chemical Stability of Two Vitamin C Forms and Implications for Shelf Life Models; Hiatt, A.N.; Mar 24 2010
- CVS Pharmacy: Ills & Conditions Storing Your Medicine
- "Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine"; Unit-Dose Packaging of Iron Supplements and Reduction of Iron Poisoning in Young Children; Tenenbein, M.; Jun 2005
- "Journal of the American Geriatrics Society"; Medication Safety in Older Adults: Home-Based Practice Patterns; Metlay, J.P.; Jun 2005
- "Journal of Hypertension"; The Association between Compliance with Antihypertensive Drugs and Modification of Antihypertensive Drug Regimen; Van Wijk, B.L.; Sep 2004
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