(ANSA) - ROME - The high temperatures require particular attention to the correct storage of drugs, to avoid health risks and loss of efficacy.
Just as it is good to know which medicines can cause damage in case of exposure to the sun.
Federfarma warns about how to behave in the summer, from which the rules for taking medicines safely in the summer come: do not expose the drugs to high temperatures, bring the whole package in your suitcase including the leaflet, beware of the sun;
do not carry them in your bag around in the heat and, when traveling by plane, put them in your hand luggage.
"There is little awareness of the fact that drugs at high temperatures can get damaged, bring the expiration date forward, lose effectiveness or cause side effects", notes Roberto Tobia, Federfarma secretary.
"Summer, on the other hand, and the trips that generally take place in the hot months, require more attention. If you go on vacation with a pack of drugs, in addition to the expiration date - he continues - the storage temperature must be taken into account, which should not exceed 25 degrees ".
The drugs for epilepsy, anticoagulants, antihypertensives and those for diabetes, such as insulins, which are even kept in the fridge are more prone to perishability.
For this reason, it is a good rule to never carry them in your bag on the beach or leave them in the car in the sun, but keep them at home or in a hotel, with more acceptable temperatures.
However, it would be advisable, before ingesting them, to assess that there has not been a change in color or consistency.
Another tip is to take the entire package on vacation and not just the blister.
"Putting all the blisters together to save space in the suitcase - specifies Tobia - is a clamorous mistake which, especially in elderly people, risks causing confusion between therapies. Instead, the whole box must be brought, including the leaflet, which is always good to have behind to consult it in case of need ".
Air travelers must remember not to put drugs in the hold, but in hand luggage, and should also carry a doctor's prescription, both to justify the entry of drugs in other countries and to buy them back in case of need.
Finally, the same attentions should be used for do-it-yourself tests, such as those for pregnancy, ovulation, blood sugar or Covid, generally sensitive to heat and humidity;
sprays (for example for asthma) should be carried in thermal bags.
Generally in summer, tablets and lozenges are preferable, as they are less sensitive to high temperatures than liquid formulations.
A separate problem are UV rays which, "in the case of taking cortisones, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics and hormonal therapies, can cause dermatitis and eczema or spots on the skin".
In these cases, you need to protect your skin with a very high SPF sunscreen.
Finally, be careful not to fall into the temptation to independently modify the therapies to 'adapt' them to the summer: "those who, for example, suffer from hypertension and have lower blood pressure in the summer, should not file the tablets: any modification of therapy must be shared with the doctor ".
(HANDLE).