Should all medicinal syrup be stored in the refrigerator?

Author: Phr. Lim

Is it necessary to keep ALL of my medicinal n syrup in the refrigerator?

The answer is NO! You should always refer to the storage instruction, which can be found on the label of the medicine bottle. The storage condition for most of the medications syrup will be at 25-30 degree Celsius. In another word, just leaving your medication syrup under room temperature will be adequate. Do make sure the storage place is cool dry and without any direct sun or heat exposure!

Won’t storing the medicinal syrup in the fridge prolongs its expiry? Won’t storing the medicinal syrup in the fridge prolongs its expiry?

The answer is NO! In fact, storing it in the refrigerator can actually encourage the growth of bacteria within the bottle! This is because under colder temperature, the water vapour within the bottle can actually condense into water droplets. These water droplet promote the growth of bacteria and hence contaminate the medicine. The preservatives within the medicinal syrup is adequate to prevent the growth of microorganisms!

As there are different storage conditions for different medicines, Phr. Lim suggests everyone to kindly check with your pharmacist the correct way to store your medications!