Is Stocking Medicines at Home Good Idea?

In case of non use till the expiry date they can certainly get wasted.

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Pharmacies Are Meant To Store Medicines

I think most places in urban India have a medicine shop (Pharmacy) near their homes which is open from morning 9 to evening at 9 o'clock. From these shops, medicines can always be purchased as needed.

There is no need to stock medicines at home until unless somebody in your house has any long term disease which requires daily medicines.

Medicines stocked at home would likely be misused, and overused.
Children at home can mistakenly consume them in overdoses.
In the case of non-use till the expiry date, they can certainly get wasted.

The only exception that comes to my mind is an antiseptic and Band-Aid to stop bleeding from injuries.

Common issues like fever and pain are defense mechanisms of the body and should be suppressed only after consultation with a doctor. So even pain and fever medicines need not be stocked at home.

When Access To Pharmacy Is Limited

Now let us consider Rural India or places that do not have enough doctors/chemists. In such situation besides antiseptic/band-aid one can additionally stock below given medicines in small amounts:

ORS solution for diarrhea,
Paracetamol for fever,
Anti-allergic-like cetirizine,
Ibuprofen for pain, and
Metoclopramide for vomiting.

But adequate precautions should be taken to prevent their misuse and these should be kept out of children's reach.

About the author: Dr. Naval Asija is a licensed MBBS Physician from India. MBBS is the equivalent of the MD degree offered by international medical schools. He is based in Delhi, India, and works as a medical writer, editor, and consultant. He supports medical researches as an author's editor, medical communication companies involved in medico-marketing activities, and medical technology companies in improving their products. He can be contacted via his LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navalasija/

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