Did the storm ruin your drugs?

The ravages of Hurricane Sandy may have ruined your medications. Follow this advice from the Food and Drug Administration to make sure the drugs you take are safe:

• Refrigeration needed. Drugs that require refrigeration should be discarded if your power has been off for awhile. But if the drug is absolutely necessary and you don't have access to a replacement, use it until you can get a new supply.
• Unsafe water. Any drugs exposed to flood waters may be contaminated and must be discarded. Use only bottled or purified water for children's medications that need to be mixed with water.
• Fires. If your medication was exposed to high heat from fires, it should be replaced.

For details, see safe drug use after a natural disaster from the FDA. And see our post-Hurricane Sandy survival tips.