How to Store Sacomni 100 Tablets in Indian Homes

The pack states that Sacomni 100 Sacubitril and Valsartan tablets should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place at a temperature below 25 degrees Celsius. Three things are being protected there: heat, moisture and light.

A closed cupboard or an almirah shelf in an inner room usually works well in most Indian homes. Keep the strips inside the printed carton, because the carton blocks light and keeps the batch details with the medicine.

Avoid the top of a refrigerator, which is warm from the motor, a window sill, the dashboard or glove box of a car, and any shelf directly above a stove or a geyser. Refrigeration is not required and is not recommended, since taking strips in and out of a fridge causes condensation on the foil.

Indian summers push indoor temperatures well past the label limit in many cities, and the monsoon brings weeks of high humidity. Both matter for a film-coated tablet.

During hot months, choose the coolest interior room rather than an outer wall cupboard that bakes in the afternoon sun. If your home gets very hot, an air conditioned room used at night is often the steadiest spot.

During the rains, dampness is the bigger enemy. Keep the carton off the floor, away from outer walls that sweat, and away from open windows. Do not store medicine in the kitchen next to the pressure cooker or in the bathroom cabinet, where steam is constant. If your cupboard smells musty, that is a sign the shelf is too damp for medicines.

The blister foil is the tablet's own weather protection. Press out one tablet at a time and only when you are ready to take it.

If you use a weekly pill box for convenience, fill it for a few days at a time rather than a full month, and keep the box itself in a dry place.

Plan medicines the way you plan tickets. Carry more than you need, count the days and add a few spare doses for delays.

On flights, keep the strips in your cabin bag rather than checked luggage, where the hold and long waits on the tarmac can be extreme. On road and rail journeys, keep the carton in the middle of your bag, wrapped in a cloth, rather than in an outer pocket exposed to sun.

Carry a copy of your prescription and a written list of your medicines with their strengths. It helps at security, at an unfamiliar chemist and at a hospital if you fall ill away from home. If you are travelling to a very hot destination, ask your pharmacist about an insulated pouch.

Check the expiry date on the strip and the carton each time you open a new pack and again when you are near the end of one. Do not use tablets after the printed expiry, and do not use a strip whose printing is illegible.

Dispose of expired or unwanted tablets thoughtfully. Do not flush them down the toilet or wash them into the drain, because medicines end up in water and soil. Do not throw a full strip into an open bin where a child or a stray animal can reach it. The better options are to hand leftovers back to your chemist if they participate in a take back arrangement, or to remove the tablets from the foil, mix them with an unappealing waste such as used tea leaves, seal them in a bag and put them in the household waste.

Keep every strip out of the sight and reach of children. A tablet that lowers blood pressure can be dangerous for a small child even in a single dose.

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for advice from a registered medical practitioner.