If you’re like most people, your medicine cabinet might be a jumbled assortment of boxes, bottles and tubes.
That innocent bit of disorganization in your medicine cabinet might actually pose a risk if you’re not careful, according to Leonard Langino, a pharmacist with North Shore Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Group, who recently held a lecture on the subject at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library.
“Many of us at home have many kinds of medication, and it’s not necessarily stored in the best possible place,” he said. “North Shore LIJ is doing a regular series of lectures called ‘What’s in your Medicine Cabinet?’ where we talk about types of medication — both prescription and over the counter — that we feel that patients should have in the home, how to safely manage them, and how to properly dispose of expired medication, among other issues.”
The most frequent problems the average person runs into when it comes to their meds is typically holding onto them far longer then they should; after all, Langino said, they tend to have a very limited shelf life after which their effectiveness dwindles, and in rare cases, they can even become hazardous.
“It’s not uncommon for patients to have expired medication in their home, and we’re trying to get people to be more diligent about removing them from the home and have them disposed of properly,” he said. “Having expired medication in the home is not safe if you have children, especially if it’s not stored in a place where they can’t get to it. Also, occasionally people might offer old medication they have to someone, such as antibiotics or painkillers…that’s not a great idea.”
In addition to knowing what not to have in your medicine cabinet, Langino also went over some items that no health-conscious individual should be without in a pinch.
“We will often self-medicate, which is perfectly fine, and there are some medications that are beneficial to have in the household in case they’re needed,” he said. “We’re at the tail-end of allergy season, so it’s always good to have allergy meds in the house, in addition to meds for pain relief, cold relief and topical ointments to treat cuts and abrasions.”
Annette Roth, Director of Community Outreach for Ambulatory Services with North Shore LIJ, said that her organization holds lectures for the public on a variety of important, hot button health topics year-round.
“We do this to give back to the communities that we serve…it’s for good will,” she said. “We could hold as many as five lectures in a given week — it varies week by week — and we speak at libraries, businesses, assisted living homes, Chamber of Commerce venues, and we speak on various topics regarding the health of local residents.”
Fran Brideau of Plainview attended the lecture. She admitted that her bathroom cabinet has grown somewhat out of control, and she was hoping to get information she needed that day to reign in her medical mess in a tad.
“I thought there might be some interesting information on what to keep in your medicine cabinet…and what not to,” she said. “Some meds should be away from humidity, some should not be near light, and some things the expiration date could be past…it’s good information to know.”
Plainview resident Al Kestenbaum was another attendee at the lecture. At his age, he said, he needs all the access to sound medical facts and advice as he can get his hands on.
“My wife and I are taking a lot of different medicines,” he said. “I hope to learn more about what they do, what their interactions are…are there problems or not? We’re going to a lot of doctors at our age, and it’s best to have as much information about our health as possible.”
We often leave ourselves in the hands of trained professionals when it comes to our health, but Langino noted that patients should always take an active role in their well-being as well. Part of that process is making sure the countless pills you’re popping annually are completely safe and sound, he said.
“There are countless types of medication — prescription, over the counter, vitamins — but always remember, regardless of the type or what they do, they’re ALL classified as medication,” he said. “We have to be aware of any interactions among them, and bringing attention to that is one of the things we try and do at our lectures.”
