Storing Anticoagulants

[Aprilbday]

How do you store your Anticoagulant? Sometimes people use pill boxes or other containers for them. I thought it may be important to note that some can not be put in a pill box or other container. Make sure to ask or read your particular label on it. My anticoagulation clinic from Kaiser warned me not to take the medicine out of original container until I was ready to take it. The inside packet-label also states:

“Storing PRADAXA (Dabigatran)

PRADAXA must be kept dry. To protect it from moisture, PRADAXA comes in either a bottle with a special cap or in a blister pack with each dose sealed separately. When storing PRADAXA, please follow these instructions carefully:

Store PRADAXA at room temperature between 68° F to 77° F (20° C to 25° C). After opening the bottle, use PRADAXA within 4 months. Safely throw away any unused PRADAXA after 4 months.

Keep PRADAXA in the original bottle or blister package to keep it dry (protect the capsules from moisture). Do not put PRADAXA in pill boxes or pill organizers.

Tightly close your bottle of PRADAXA right away after you take your dose.”

😊

[jennydog]

When I saw the headline on your post I immediately thought of my Pradaxa.

The capsule is incredibly fragile. If put onto a damp plate it disintegrates releasing hundreds of the most foul tasting tiny white balls.

Thank you for the warning.

[Aprilbday in reply to jennydog]

Wow!!! I guess that’s why it says to drink with a full glass of water! Imagine those strong beads of foulness could be damaging to stomach lining without enough water!!!

[baba]

This applies to other medications too

[CDreamer]

Interesting you get your Pradaxa in a bottle - mine & hubbies always come individually sealed in foil/plastic. Never,seen them in a bottle.

[JaneFinn]

Interesting, thanks! I decant my tablets weekly out of their blister packs into pill boxes, all except my apixaban. For no good reason, I cut up the blisters of apixaban so they’re still sealed, & decant them unopened into the pill boxes. I have no idea why I do that! And I have no idea if it’s safe to decant my other meds (bisoprolol, lansoprazole and ramipril or candesartan). I should check really, thanks for the heads-up, April

[Kresta]

I have a large pill dispenser that I keep my Pradaxa in. I don’t take it out of its blister pack until I use it. I have had one get stuck going down and I was in pain for around 3 days so now I make sure I have it with food or a large glass of water.

[sleeksheep]

I take Riveroxaban (Xeralto ) and it comes in a blister pack of 28 tablets , seven to a side.

I,ve always use that to count my other tablets , always started a new sheet on Monday so if I forget to take it I know which day I missed and exactly what other tablets I,ve missed .

Over 12 months I usually end up with a weeks supply extra.

Strangely I,ve never missed a Flecainide in over two years.

[momist]

My apixaban (Eliquis) comes in plastic/foil packs of fourteen (one week's worth). I write on the foil side with a black marker pen the days of the week so I have a record of which I have taken. I do this with all my pills that come in such packaging, as that keeps me straight with whether I've taken today's pill or not.

I have a few excess (missed doses) of apixaban, and one each of the other pills, still in their foil/plastic wrappings carefully cut out of the used up strips, in a small key chain container that I carry with me always so I will have a supply if I'm delayed for any reason, or don't get home that night.