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Do not open the container, bottle, or foil at all if you can possibly help it. The original, unopened package is the first and best line of security. If you have opened it, then remove the cotton wool or any other packing; if not opened, leave it alone.

Do not put drugs in the freezer unless you are absolutely sure that they are in a sealed, watertight, metal container— which few are. Neither the plastic container nor the bottle in which drugs are usually dispensed by pharmacies will keep out the frost. Neither will a camera film container.

An amber-colored plastic container is preferable to a clear one because it filters out light. A glass container is better than a plastic one because glass is chemically inert and cannot affect the contents. (Wine keeps for centuries in bottles.)

I keep my drugs in its original foil in a glass jar with a tight lid in a dark recess of a closet.

Obtain a few desiccants (those little capsules that contain drying agents) and add them to your stockpile. Your pharmacist will give you some if you ask. These will help reduce moisture.

The ideal is an unopened container inside a cardboard box in a cupboard or drawer at an even room temperature.
Make sure that no one else, particularly children, can get access to this drugs.

Avoid kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms, which are likely to be damp and vary in temperature some of the time. Most important, stored drugs should be kept away from light, sunshine, electric light, and damp or heat sources.

Bei den Tabletten schauen die Wissenschaftler vor allem auf die Inhaltsstoffe: Laut Gesetz müssen alle Medikamente mindestens 90 Prozent ihres Wirkstoffs enthalten, und zwar bis zum Ende der Haltbarkeit. Bei den Entwässerungstabletten gegen Bluthochdruck, die wir im Labor getestet haben, baut sich der Wirkstoff HCT schnell ab. Durch die Zersetzung kann sich das giftige Abbauprodukt Formaldeyhd bilden. Deshalb: Hände weg von abgelaufenen Entwässerungstabletten!