(INDIANAPOLIS) - Many people find it convenient to get their prescription drugs delivered to their door through the mail, but extreme weather conditions can have a negative effect on those drugs if exposed too long.
Dr. Amy Peak is the Director of Drug Information Services & Academic Advising- Pharmacy Practice at Butler University. Dr. Peak says extreme hot and cold temperatures have been proven to decrease the potency of drugs.
However, Dr. Peak says all drugs are tested specifically for their reactions in those circumstances so it's hard to know how much potency is lost or how long the drugs have to be exposed for them to be affected.
Dr. Peak says the same thing can happen in extremely cold temps as well when the thermometer dips well below freezing. She says not only can drugs lose their potency but delivery systems can like pumps or inhalers can also become damaged, rendering the drugs useless.
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