Probably not a problem for everyone but it was a problem I was running into where my meds weren’t being as effective towards the bottom of the bottle and then would work great after a refill.

My meds are supposed to be stored between 67F and 77F and my apartment has been routinely getting to around 85F for days (and weeks) at a time and by the time I was getting close to the bottom of the bottle it wasn’t really working that well for me.

So I took one of those can fridges and added some temperature control to it to automatically keep it in the temperature range I need and also added a large bag of dessicant in there to keep the humidity low as those little can fridges suck up moisture something fierce.

So basically make sure your meds are stored properly or you’ll probably have some additional issues that you really don’t need.

  • audiomodder@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    631·
    3 months ago

    Interesting, because I’ve noticed my meds are less effective since my local pharmacy started having routine prescriptions filled remotely and shipped to them. Wonder if it’s a a temperature in transit issue

      • seaQueue@lemmy.worldEnglish
        24·
        3 months ago

        Many US food companies won’t ship delicate foods during the hot parts of the year. I have a bunch of my staple groceries shipped to me (go food deserts!) and I can’t get chocolate or other heat sensitive products from them between late May and mid September.

  • Septimaeus@infosec.pubEnglish
    431·
    3 months ago

    I’d do it if I could add a blue light and dry ice vapor effect every time I opened the meds fridge.

  • clockwork_octopus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    30·
    3 months ago

    Huh. That’s a good point, I should do something about the hot house I live in. Probably easier doing that than relocating my meds to a different place where I’m guaranteed to never find them again

    • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
      12·
      3 months ago

      For me I put the little can fridge on the shelf where I put my glasses so that I have to look at it in the morning, so far I’ve been having a decent track record for remembering them before I leave for the day.

      Though I also have a reminder alarm that goes off on my phone as well lol

    • superkret@feddit.orgEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      Write a note with where you put the meds now, and place that note where you used to put the meds.

  • Nougat@fedia.io
    20·
    3 months ago

    I believe there was a SciShow video recently that discussed the effect of heat and humidity on medications.

      • asteriskeverything@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        3 months ago

        Oh my gosh do you remember the name of a show they had in roughly 05-10i era that was just featuring prototypes for future technology?

        I remember it featuring robotic exoskeleton, something that I’m pretty sure was Kevlar or at least functions very similarly, a sidewalk that can generate power from people walking on it. I even think it featured an “invisibility cloak” so basically a mix of practicality and stages of development. It was fun. I feel like there were a lot of shows about futuristic stuff then on those channels (discovery package basically if u know u know) right before reality suffocated it. And I can’t find anything about them and they aren’t ever mentioned.

  • subignition@fedia.io
    4·
    3 months ago

    I might have to reevaluate where I keep my medicines. Kitchen has been 85-90 F frequently in the last month, I have had bad luck getting a portable AC that actually works.

    • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      Likewise, it’s been hella toasty lately and being the top floor apartment and only being allowed to use portable ACs at my place means that I’ve been slowly cooking alive.

      By bedroom has routinely been getting as high as 90F

    • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      Depending on your meds in the fridge might be a bad call (though much better than the medicine cabinet)

      Be sure to check the safe storage temps for your meds before you pick a spot

      • 𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘@infosec.pubEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        Sorry. Didn’t mean to imply I was right here. Only that my meds won’t get too hot lol. I have had medicines be destroyed by the frigid temperatures in the fridge. I grew up with no central air/heat. If we were cold, we had kerosene heaters. If we were hot, we opened a window. So we got into the habit of sticking everything in the fridge.

        • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
          2·
          3 months ago

          No worries

          And likewise on the growing up without central air, it took a long time to break the habit of everything going in the fridge (or at times the cooler)

          I don’t miss the days of chopping firewood to get hot water.

          I do have to say though that the novelty of running water on tap still makes me smile.

          • 𝕸𝖔𝖘𝖘@infosec.pubEnglish
            2·
            3 months ago

            We used the gas stove to heat water for a bath, when the solar water still wasn’t working well enough, or we just showered (very very quickly) cold. Life used to be so simple. Hard, yes, but simple. It was nice. However, I do very much enjoy modern amenities haha

          • medgremlinEnglish
            1·
            3 months ago

            I looked it up and read through the NIH paper that did a review of available information about it. It’s essentially a recreational drug that can be formed in your body when you take methylphenidate and alcohol at the same time.

            I will put out this caution though: there were a lot of reports of bad trips, worsened focus/cognition, dangerous side effects like increased heart rate and body temperature, and there was a very high rate of addictive responses. So it may sound like fun, but you’re running the risk of causing yourself a lot of problems and using Ethylphenidate (or methylphenidate plus alcohol) may make your regular ADHD meds less effective and lead into addiction problems.

    • medgremlinEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      I’m repeating my reply to someone else in the thread so hopefully more people can see it:

      I looked it up and read through the NIH paper that did a review of available information about it. It’s essentially a recreational drug that can be formed in your body when you take methylphenidate and alcohol at the same time.

      I will put out this caution though: there were a lot of reports of bad trips, worsened focus/cognition, dangerous side effects like increased heart rate and body temperature, and there was a very high rate of addictive responses. So it may sound like fun, but you’re running the risk of causing yourself a lot of problems and using Ethylphenidate (or methylphenidate plus alcohol) may make your regular ADHD meds less effective and lead into addiction problems.

      TL;DR: This is a dangerous, bad idea and as a medical student with a decent understanding of pharmacology, I do NOT recommend doing this.

  • kungen@feddit.nuEnglish
    512·
    3 months ago

    How do you come to this conclusion? Because your medicine isn’t “hitting” as hard as you’d expect?

    There are many different scenarios that impact bioavailability etc. It seems unlikely that such a small temperature difference would have any noticeable impact on your medicine, especially during such a short time.

          • kungen@feddit.nuEnglish
            41·
            3 months ago

            More probable than OP’s opinion based purely from “how hard that shit hits bro”.

            Like, theres so many different reasons for OP’s feelings rather than a couple degrees temperature difference. Even a slight difference in stomach pH would have a bigger impact on the bioavailability than any non-excessive variations in storage temperature would.

            And let’s say that even if that small amount of temperature has any real impact, it wouldn’t be noticeable either unless OP’s prescription is like a year’s worth of product for each refill. But sure, love the echo chamber down votes, nothing wrong with believing OP’s blind opinions… you’re surely gonna notice a helluva difference when you’re temperature controlling one of the most chemically stable medicines!

            • imPastaSyndrome@lemm.eeEnglish
              31·
              3 months ago

              Also - I mean that’s not really what that study says… They kept it at 71°f. Which is still within the controlled temperature. It’s not 85°f.

              So good job googling after the fact to prove what you didn’t actually know and still being wrong

              • kungen@feddit.nuEnglish
                11·
                3 months ago

                Yeah, just ignore that they stored it at 40 freedom temperatures, which is a lot outside the suggested storage range, and had no impact. So OP’s +15F difference would most likely not be some game changer of a very stable chemical; many other factors have a much bigger effect on bioavailability, and that’s what you should be focusing on instead.

                • imPastaSyndrome@lemm.eeEnglish
                  11·
                  3 months ago

                  Okay but no one is saying refrigeration is denaturing it in this thread and no I won’t just focus on what you want because you say so

            • imPastaSyndrome@lemm.eeEnglish
              21·
              3 months ago

              Yeah echo chamber uh huh.

              Or hear me out. People don’t like people who just say “nuh uh sorry you’re ‘not getting your fix bro’” without anything to back it up.

              • kungen@feddit.nuEnglish
                11·
                3 months ago

                I didn’t make any accusations, I simply asked what they were basing his opinion on.

        • Venator@lemmy.nzEnglish
          34·
          3 months ago

          Keeping it at a stable temperature could improve its placebo effect 😅