Does keeping different types of medications in one pill bottle affect their quality?
I take a number of different medications and herbal supplements. Because keeping separate containers in my pocketbook is cumbersome, I've been combining them together in the same prescription bottle. I'm wondering if this alters or diminishes their effectiveness.
The combination includes: regular tablets, some of which have been cut in half; coated tablets; and capsules. The capsules are clear, made of plant-based hypromellose, and are filled with either powdered medication or ground herbs. There are no gel-caps or anything containing liquid.
There's usually some fine powder in the bottom of the bottle, which I assume comes from the broken pills. Other than that, everything appears intact and not misshapen, stuck together, or otherwise compromised.
Is there an overarching rule of thumb for this situation, or would it depend on the specific medications?
(2)2 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
No, this does not alter them, or make them less effective. There are problems with a scant amount of medicine crumbling, as you've noticed.
The only real concern I'd have for anyone doing this is regarding the authorities: for example, while traveling out of the country, it's good to keep your medicines in their original prescription bottles because it supports you're assertion that the medicines are all prescribed to you. In my entire life, I had only one border agent question my medications. So even there, it's rare.
As long as you can tell which pill is which, this is perfectly safe.
One way to decrease crumbling of a pill is to put a piece of cotton in your container, so that when you close it, the pills don't rattle around in your purse. That's the reason many medications come with a cotton ball stuffed into the bottle.
The integrity of the pills themselves should be fine with a few exceptions. I won't ask you what you take, but note that there are situations where this powder can cause problems. Though, it is rather unlikely.
The only thing I will add to this, as a pharmacist, is keeping all your pills in a single container makes identifying them difficult/time consuming for a third party. If you were in a situation where you or a loved/trusted one was unable to list your medications, having them all together makes this situation much more difficult and potentially harmful to you.
By law, all prescribed medication marketed and sold within the US are required to have a stamp on them for identification purposes (see: FDA's Code of Federal Regulations). If there are many different medications in a single container it is easier for a single pill to be missed in the sorting phase (as many pills are small, white, and round making them look incredibly similar). This could hurt you in the short and long run. Better to get a cheap pill box to separate them at least by what you take each day to cut down on some of this.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.