Essential checklist for safely disposing of expired medications

Title: Essential checklist for safely disposing of expired medications Introduction: As New Year nears, check your medicine cabinet for expired meds like antibiotics and nitroglycerin to ensure family safety. Keywords: ['Family health', 'Medicine and health'] Author: Bu Xiaoyu, Nurse in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Air Force General Hospital. Review: Lü Xiaohong, Chief Nurse, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Air Force General Hospital. Chen Qianhua, Chief Physician, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Aviation General Hospital. Note: The cover image is from a copyright stock photo library, and reusing it may lead to copyright disputes. Main text: As the New Year approaches, many people start busily deep cleaning their homes, but one corner is often overlooked—the family medicine cabinet. Those cold medications, pain relievers, and band-aids that you casually stuffed into the drawer, are they really still safe and effective? Expired medications not only lose their efficacy; some can even break down into toxic substances, becoming invisible killers for household health. At the end of this year, let’s conduct a thorough check-up of our medicine cabinets and ensure that expired medications are brought to light!

As the New Year approaches, many individuals tend to engage in deep cleaning their homes; however, one area that is frequently neglected is the family medicine cabinet. Those over-the-counter cold medications, pain relievers, and band-aids that you casually stored are not guaranteed to be safe and effective anymore. Expired medications not only lose their therapeutic efficacy, but some may even degrade into toxic substances, becoming potential health hazards for the household. As we approach the end of the year, it is crucial that we thoroughly inspect our medicine cabinets and dispose of any expired medications!