Do you have what it takes to treat a cut, sprain or gastroenteritis? What do you do if you can’t sleep because of heartburn? Do you have everything in your pharmacy? Well done! Your sense of organization is exemplary.

On the contrary, you only have a few band-aids, a bit of rubbing alcohol, and a few expired medications in a bathroom drawer? It might be time to ‘ride’ yourself a personalized home pharmacy to have everything on hand when you need it.

PasseportSanté.net provides you with a tool to help you with this task. Consult My pharmacy, according to the ailments. You can also refer to My First Aid Kit for its essentials.

Here are also some useful information. They come from the public health authorities of Quebec and the experts involved in this file: the pharmacologist Jean-Louis Brazier of the University of Montreal and the D^re Johanne blais associated with the Lucie and André Chagnon Chair for teaching an integrated approach to prevention at Laval University.

Before you start shopping, do first the housework from your pharmacy. A household that you must do at least Once in a year, according to pharmacists.

• Get rid of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and natural health products including expiration date is outdated.
• Throw them away drops for the ears as well as the drops and ointments for the eyes of three to four weeks after they open.
• Do not consume drugs or natural health products that have deteriorated: changes in color, shape, consistency or smell.
• Do not throw any medicine in the trash or the toilet. Bring them rather at the pharmacist. He will know how to destroy them in complete safety.
• Do you still have a mercury thermometer? Go to digital thermometer, which is much more precise and easier to read. Several organizations, including the Canadian Pediatric Society, do not recommend the use of mercury thermometers. If broken, these thermometers expose the individual and their environment to a highly toxic substance.

Do you keep your pharmacy in the bathroom? It’s not the best place to store medicines and natural health products – like the kitchen, for that matter.

• Place your pharmacy in a cool and dry place, protected from light, like a cupboard. Refrigerate or freeze items that need to be refrigerated such as gel-filled pillows.
• Keep it out of the reach of children.
• Store your products always at the same place to avoid wasted time in an emergency.
• For the same reason, choose a resistant and waterproof container rather than a traditional cabinet. Put all your products there. A large plastic container, with or without a compartment, is a good option. You will find it at the hardware store.
• Keep products in their original containers with the manufacturer’s information sheet.
• Slide, in your personal pharmacy, the products List it contains â € ”our tool will help you to train it: My pharmacy, according to the ailments. Your task will be made easier when the time comes for the next household.
• Add emergency telephone numbers to this list¹, contact details for your doctor and pharmacist. Note the number of the Info-Santé telephone information line in your region, if you have access to this service.

Is your home pharmacy now well stocked? You will then be able to deal with a host of minor ailments. But beware! Caution is still required with all medications – even over the counter ones.

• Read them carefully Labels and fact sheets from the manufacturer of drugs or natural health products.
• Respect the indications, the contraindications and warnings from the manufacturer.
• Learn about the possible interactions between drugs and natural health products. On this subject, see our section on natural health products.
• Never buy drugs on the Internet. This is a risky practice. Indeed, the quality standards of medicines vary from country to country. Counterfeit drugs are also circulating on the world market through, among other things, the Web.
• You have questions about a drug? Talk to your pharmacist.