There are some common mistakes Kiwis make in their medicine cabinets.
Do you know why it matters how much water you drink when taking some medications? And why you shouldn’t flush unwanted pills down the toilet?
There are several things we can get wrong with medications – both prescription and over-the-counter ones.
Professor Rhiannon Braund, who has 25 years’ experience as a practising pharmacist in New Zealand, says the things we get wrong with medication can pose risks to our health and the environment.
Braund explains some common mistakes Kiwis make in their medicine cabinets – and what to do about them.
Not taking them with food or water as directed
“When taking medicines with water, we normally expect people to take at least a glass of water,” Braund, the former head of the University of Waikato’s school of pharmacy and biomedical sciences, says.
That dissolves the medicine and helps it to be absorbed much faster.
Food is often recommended with medicines that can irritate the gut or trigger nausea – and that doesn’t have to be a full meal.
“For most people, a sandwich or something light is enough,” Braund says.
“A quick cookie probably isn’t going to be enough if you find those medicines quite irritant to your gut.”
Some foods should be avoided with certain medication – for example, statins can’t be taken with grapefruit as it will metabolise the drug too quickly.
Forgetting to take medication or accidentally doubling up
“Most of the time if you accidentally take an extra dose, it really has quite minor implications,” Braund says.
Exceptions include the oral contraceptive pill, which should be taken within a certain timeframe each day, and blood thinners like warfarin.
“If you double dose on [warfarin], because the dose is tailored to your current blood clotting ability, that can actually be quite risky for people.”
Taking expired medication
All medicines degrade over time. While paracetamol can last for years, other medicines like antibiotics need to be taken within days or weeks or they risk losing their potency.
“They’re just not as effective, so while you think you’re still taking medicine that’s going to help you, you’re really just not getting enough.”
Eye drops also expire within seven to 30 days once opened as they can become contaminated.
Taking pills that haven’t been prescribed to you
It’s common to “borrow” pain relief or over-the-counter medications, but you shouldn’t take someone else’s prescription.
You might react or experience side effects, or it could interact with other medicines you’ve taken.
A course of antibiotics shouldn’t be shared, as it won’t deliver the right dose.
Not finishing a course of medication
There are some exceptions; for example, if you’re on a months-long course of doxycycline for acne, it’s not a big deal if you don’t finish it, Braund says.
But it’s important to finish targeted medications like antibiotics. If you don’t, you can develop resistance to it next time.
“Once we have widespread resistance to an antibiotic, it loses all its effectiveness for everyone.”
Not reading or checking instructions
Patients can get their dose wrong if they’re not following the instructions on the label – and in some cases, the labels themselves can be incorrect.
“It’s really important patients know what it is they take,” Braund says.
If the label doesn’t match your prescriber’s verbal instructions, let them know – and ask for information on how your medications work if you need it.
Storing medicines in the wrong place
Some liquids, such as antibiotics, must be stored in the fridge as directed. And some should not be kept in cold environments. It’s important to read the instructions.
“If you store kids’ liquid paracetamol in the fridge, sometimes it crystallises. It’s too cold for it, so normally it’ll say to store it at room temperature.”
It’s also important to keep all medicines out of reach of children for safety.
Storing different pills in one container or bag
If you take several different pills a day, you might mix them into one container or pack them together when travelling.
The problem is you might not remember which pill is which, even if they are different colours – so it’s recommended to keep them separate.
That also helps others, like family members or emergency staff, to know what you need to take.
Flushing medicines or putting them in the bin
If your medicine has expired or you no longer need it, you might be tempted to throw it out or flush it down the toilet. Instead, you should return it to the pharmacy, where it can be disposed of correctly and safely.
“Once things go into landfill, you think you’re getting rid of it, but nothing’s ever really gone,” says Braund, adding that medications can leach into the environment.
They can end up in the waterways and oceans and affect marine life. Plastic packaging and the propellants from inhalers can also damage the environment.
“That’s a really important area for big pharma around sustainability and around eco impact, and trying to reduce it where they can.”
The way medicines are dispensed in New Zealand often leads to wastage, Braund says.
“I think most people try to do the right thing when they can, but waste is inevitable when people get side effects to a medicine and change medicines or change dose ... it’s just part of the system.”
Bethany Reitsma is a lifestyle writer who has been with the NZ Herald since 2019. She specialises in all things health and wellbeing and is passionate about telling Kiwis’ real-life stories.