how do you store medication?

[ktgrok]

Just the OTC stuff, like ibuprofen, anti diarrheal, benedryl, cough medicine, etc etc. I have a ton of stuff between the kids and adults (6 people) and all tossed into a bin is not working as a long range strategy, lol. Add in my daily vitamins, kid's vitamins, DH's vitamins, dog's daily medication, dog's vitamins and it's a disaster. Then there are all the band aids, bandages, antibiotic ointment, cortisone cream, etc etc. HELP!

[AbcdeDooDah]

I have them on lazy susans in a kitchen cabinet.  I have one for natural stuff and one for conventional medicine.  I arrange them along the outside so I just turn it instead of having to dig for something.  Anything rarely used gets put in the middle.

OXO Good Grips Lazy Susan Turntable, 11-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WJQGMU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_K96kCb4FPWTKJ

Edited January 1, 2019 by AbcdeDooDah

[PeterPan]

My dh got me metal pullout shelves for my pantry, and now my things are all divided and tidy by category. Some things I buy in quantity (calcium, C, that kind of thing) so it's nice to have them all lined up and ready and obvious when we're running out.

Regular first aid things go in a drawer in the bathroom. 

I'm not sure if these are the exact pullouts he got, but they're the right idea.

https://www.amazon.com/Knape-Vogt-HSR15-R-FN-Half-Shelf-Organizer/dp/B0081Q8JG2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1546366653&sr=8-7&keywords=metal+pullout+shelves

My things that are current use (what I load into my weekly vitamin containers) are in a dishpan that sits on the counter. So those pullouts organizer the less used things, things bought ahead, etc. And I keep my dishpan pretty tight so ONLY what is being used is in there. That way if company is coming over or I need to clean, I can just pick that up and boom it's gone.

I keep dog meds, leftover prescription pain meds, etc. up on a VERY HIGH shelf in the pantry that is not reachable to anyone who shouldn't be in them even with a stool. I should probably find out how you dump them.

Edited January 1, 2019 by PeterPan

[AK_Mom4]

7 minutes ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

I have them on lazy susans in a kitchen cabinet.  I have one for natural stuff Nd one for conventional medicine.  I arrange them along the outside so I just turn it instead of having to dig for it.

This is us too. Except for my vitamins, which sit out on the counter so I remember to take them each morning,

[Hilltopmom]

Everything is locked in a few big tackle boxes.

OTC adult stuff in one, OTC kid stuff in another in the pantry (2 huge pantries in this house)- only thing that would fit the large bottles from Sam’s 

prescription & daily stuff in small bottles- in a small lock box in the kitchen cabinet

bandages, extra toiletries etc go in the upstairs linen closet

the locking things up is new to us but became necessary with a teen with mental health issues and new friends we don’t know well who come over (it’s a pain, I admit). Probably not a bad idea for anyone though.

Edited January 1, 2019 by Hilltopmom

[PeterPan]

Pics. And yes, that's ds' vit list in the back, in a page protector. I finally got that done, working on teaching him some independence. Well that and I figured if I happen to DIE someone will need to know what he was taking.

Edited January 1, 2019 by PeterPan

[Tap]

We have complicated medical histories here, so lots of medicine and treatments are in our home. Disclaimer....We do not have young children in our home or pets that chew on things other than toys. 

Basic first aid kit with standard sizes of bandaids are in a 1st aid kit in the downstairs bathroom. Overflow and oversize items are in in the upstairs hallway. Large bandages, medical gloves, slings, etc. 

Basic topical creams are in the drawer in the same bathroom (hydrocortisone cream, antifungals etc)

Daily oral meds (except dd20) and cold meds are in a small cupboard in the kitchen (away from heat/moisture). If this cupboard gets full, I purge the contents. It is a full, single door kitchen cupboard, with 3 shelves.  

Overstock of everyone (except dd20) is in the upstairs hallway cupboard. We have lots of overstock, because at some point almost each year, despite having an $11,000 max we hit our out of pocket maximum on health insurance and all meds are free. Due to this, I stock up from that point forward through the year to maximize the benefits and to lessen prescription costs while I am paying our deductible payments in Jan/Feb. I leave everything in its original container and rotate oldest supplies to the front. It is mostly inhalers and topicals, but sometimes a random oversize vitamin etc will move up there too.

Not what would be in a normal houshold.....DD20 has 5x 27gallon Rubbermaid style totes (the x-tra heavy duty ones like you use in a garage) of her overflow medical supplies. She uses the equivalent of 2-3 containers per month, so she always has 2+ months of supplies on hand at all times (incase of emergency or insurance changes).  Our garage is heated so they live in there. The stack is 5'5" tall.  She also has a 4 sided room screen that makes a rectangle in our family room which houses her other supplies. The boxes are up to the top of the screen and use all the space behind it.  In her bedroom, she has a wooden box at the end of her bed (like a hope chest), a large wicker basket and a shelf in her room for the current week supplies/meds. 

If you combined all of her supplies in the most efficient way possible, the would easily fill 10 of the totes in the garage. She is moving soon across country, so the amount of space just for meds and supplies is a factor in transportation and housing once there. 

Edited January 1, 2019 by Tap