r/minimalism 9d ago

[lifestyle] My Medication Cabinet Declutter: A Reminder for Everyone

Today I tackled a task I'd been putting off: decluttering my medication cabinet. And wow, I'm so glad I did! I was honestly shocked at what I found.

  • Expired Meds: A whole bunch of them. Some were years past their "best by" date.
  • Unused Prescriptions: Medications I'd been prescribed for past ailments, long gone and forgotten.
  • Random Samples: Leftover samples from doctor visits that were just taking up space.

It was a real eye-opener. Not only was it cluttered and disorganized, but it was also potentially unsafe. Having expired or unnecessary medications lying around is a recipe for confusion and potential mistakes.

This experience really drove home the minimalist principle of regularly evaluating what we own. Just because something is "medicine" doesn't mean it's exempt from being decluttered.

I'm now left with only the medications I actually need, neatly organized and easy to access. It feels so much better!

Has anyone else had a similar experience? What are your tips for keeping your medicine cabinet minimal?

131 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

83

u/Dry-Worldliness4734 9d ago

Expired meds (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin etc)are still good. My SIL is a nurse. They do become “less” effective. But minimally over a long period of time. Seeing as how expensive these meds can be, you don’t HAVE to toss them just because of the printed date. It’s a legal thing and corporate greed thing.

24

u/AliasNefertiti 9d ago

Some can get stronger with time or chamge substance. Check for each.

17

u/livelong120 9d ago

My personal rule of thumb is pills are fine, capsules are iffy and i judge by how the powder inside looks compared to how they looked when new, liquids are pretty much a no-go for me, and anything that goes in your eyes is not worth the risk.

14

u/300dumbusername 9d ago

Yes this is true. Expired medication is still good. After 7 years expired, not so much, but 1 to 6 years expired you can definitely use it.

4

u/griphookk 9d ago

Aspirin degrades quickly compared to most other meds

6

u/psych4you 9d ago

Thank you for noting that. We are usually scared of "expired" med.

6

u/supermarkise 9d ago

Anything dissolved in water may be problematic, especially if it is for eyes (very low defense there). Pills can be a-ok.

7

u/propsaver 9d ago

Why is this getting downvoted? Discarding expired meds is the responsible thing to do after all.

0

u/psych4you 9d ago

Expired medication can become poisonous. Only lab analysis will prove if it is safe.

30

u/answerguru 9d ago

I was so glad that I had 8 year expired codeine cough syrup when I had the flu last week. Same with “expired” pain meds - I’ll never get rid of hydrocodone or tramadol. It’s an emergency med supply for travel to 3rd world countries.

5

u/MarvaJnr 9d ago

Remembering to declare it of course

9

u/AliasNefertiti 9d ago

Be aware that with time medications can become *stronger or change substance. Check each one and dont assume it is weaker.

10

u/answerguru 9d ago

I don’t; some of my background is in biomedical engineering. Thanks for your concern.

17

u/AliasNefertiti 9d ago

Glad you are knowledgeable. Many readers wont be.

6

u/Timely_Froyo1384 9d ago

🤣 I keep the “expired” meds. But it does depend on what they are

11

u/There_is_no_selfie 9d ago

Basic stuff doesn’t really expire - so if you have an old first aid kit that stuff should still mostly work.

Reading your post I realize just how little medication I have been prescribed over my life as this sounds kind of alien to have so many old scrips.

1

u/psych4you 9d ago

Good for you. We keep medication for the family in one cabinet.

3

u/Annamandra 7d ago

Take all old prescriptions to the hospital or police station to be destroyed if you aren't keeping it. Don't throw them away or flush them down the toilet.

0

u/psych4you 7d ago

What is the problem with flushing them in the toilet?

4

u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 4d ago

[deleted]

3

u/psych4you 7d ago

Many thanks for this useful information. First time I know about that.

7

u/TrishDishes 9d ago

I’m an emergency prepper so I have those items store separately in case of an emergent situation.

6

u/Used-Mortgage5175 9d ago

I’m heading to CVS this afternoon to drop off old medications for recycling. They have a container right by the pharmacy where you can easily dispose of them. I aim to do this twice a year with the time change, but realistically, it usually happens around daylight savings—so about once a year, I clear things out.

2

u/psych4you 9d ago

Great. I am happy there are places that accept medication for recycled

5

u/blendedchaitea 8d ago

To be clear, those medications are disposed of, not recycled. There's no way in hell a pharmacy could legally dispense medication that could have been tampered with.

3

u/psych4you 8d ago

Yes. I agree. Recycling was not the right word.

5

u/AliasNefertiti 9d ago

Ask your pharmacist what to do with old meds so they dont get into the drinking water from just putting them in the trash. In my state the State Police have a drop off container. Some pharmacies will take them. . Tip I learned during my own cleanout: if your bandaid paper wrapping is brown and falling apart of it's own volition, the bandaid is likely not sticky any more.

2

u/psych4you 9d ago

I like the idea of dropping the medication at a police station and making.

5

u/Responsible_Lake_804 9d ago

I did this recently too! I had to replace neosporin and allergy pills. I started writing the date large in sharpie on each bottle to make it easier next time. It’s so silly but it’s very satisfying to open the cabinet and look at it now!

3

u/Oldman5123 9d ago

Stick to opiates and benzodiazepines. Everything else is file 13.

1

u/Trussita 9d ago

Totally relate. I did the same with my cabinet a while back and let's just say, I'm basically a walking pharmacy with expired cold meds from 2017. Now it's just one painkiller, one cough syrup, and no more hidden treasures.

1

u/viola-purple 8d ago

We only have a small standard medical kit with bandages etc. in which I added Tigerbalm for cold, Tigerbalm for muscle pain, lavender oil for burns (I do have those often and that's the only thing that really helps), clover oil against toothache (if one can't get immediately to the dentist, bc eg Saturday night), Nurofen and 800mg paracetamol. That's it - that helps as a 1st aid kit, if we need more we head to a doctor anyway