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Our first aid kits usually contain a lot of various medications and preparations, hydrogen peroxide and plasters with dressings are obligatory. It may seem strange, but some of the drugs we store may be dangerous to us. It is worth reviewing the resources of the first-aid kit from time to time and with the help of our list, eliminate anything that may threaten our health.
- Prescription drugs, especially antibiotics, should not be taken without consulting your doctor. If there are any prescription drugs left in your medicine cabinet after treatment, take them to the pharmacy
- Cotton buds, which we usually keep in the first aid kit, can be very dangerous to health if they are not used for their intended purpose. Unfortunately, many of us use them to “clean” our ears
- Check your health. Just answer these questions
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
Prescription drug leftovers
Each medicine cabinet contains prescription drugs that we did not choose when we needed them – mainly antibiotics and strong painkillers. Why is it better to return to the pharmacy blisters with, for example, two antibiotic tablets, instead of using them when there are any symptoms that indicate an infection?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, taking antibiotics only when needed is an important way to protect yourself and your family from antibiotic resistance. And vice versa: taking antibiotics “in advance” just because we have them in the home medicine cabinet, contributes to the formation of bacteria resistant to antibiotic therapy. Not to mention the fact that taking antibiotics without consulting a doctor is dangerous to your health.
When it comes to prescription painkillers, here you have to be careful where you store them. If they fall into the wrong hands, especially children’s hands, they can do a lot of damage. Prescription drugs that you no longer use can be returned to the pharmacy.
Zobacz: Returning drugs to the pharmacy? We check what the regulations say
Drugs after the expiry date
It is worth making a habit of browsing the contents of the first aid kit in terms of the expiry date of the medicines and preparations it contains. Sometimes we buy over-the-counter medications, such as painkillers or vitamins, and forget about them. While expired medications are usually not harmful to your health, they simply become ineffective.
«After the expiry date, there is no guarantee that the drug will be safe and effective. If the use-by date has expired, the drug is unfit for consumption»Explains Dr. Ilisa Bernstein, former deputy director of the Compliance Office at the FDA’s Drug Evaluation and Research Center.
We also return expired drugs to the pharmacy. They must not be simply thrown in the trash.
Slimming pills
Diet pills, miracle drugs (mostly supplements) to help us squeeze into the pants from the previous season … Most of them have side effects that are dangerous to health. During the treatment, headaches, dizziness, increased blood pressure and stomach problems may occur. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 23 emergency calls annually in the United States are related to diet pills. 005 visits required hospitalization. The study showed that most of the emergencies involved cardiovascular symptoms resulting from weight loss in young adults.
Check: Popular dietary supplements do not help with weight loss
Cotton buds
A surprise may arise here. Why can cotton buds be dangerous to your health? It all depends on what they are used for. The popular “ear sticks” should not be used to “clean” the inside of the ear.
«Using a cotton swab works like a piston – it pushes the earwax deeper and deeper. One of the problems is that if the wax is pressed inside, it won’t come out of the ear, »explains Dr. Yu-Tung Wong of Cedars-Sinai. He also adds that improper use of a cotton bud can result in perforation of the eardrum and loss of hearing. “In severe cases, the swab can damage many sensitive structures behind the ear canal and cause complete hearing loss, dizziness with nausea and vomiting, loss of taste, and even facial paralysis,” adds Wong.
We do not encourage you to throw away the cotton buds from the first aid kit, but to use them safely and as intended.
Drugs withdrawn from the market
It happens from time to time that the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate, at the request of a medicinal entity, suspends or withdraws from the market a given preparation or all preparations containing a specific active substance.
When checking medications for the expiration date, it is also important to check them for safety. The list of withdrawn or suspended drugs is available on the website of the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate.
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