Pharmacy PEBC Practice Exam

Why is it important to store medications properly?

1. To make them easier to access

2. To maintain their potency

3. To improve their taste

4. To reduce cost

The correct answer is: To maintain their potency

Storing medications properly is crucial for maintaining their potency, which directly affects their effectiveness in treating medical conditions. Medications can degrade or lose their strength when exposed to improper temperatures, humidity, or light. For instance, some medications may need to be kept in a cool, dry place, while others might require refrigeration. Ensuring that medications are stored as recommended helps ensure that they deliver the intended therapeutic effect when taken by patients. The other options, while they may pertain to general benefits of medication storage, do not address the critical need for maintaining the biological activity and efficacy of medications. Accessibility, taste, and cost are secondary considerations that are not as vital to the medication's overall effectiveness as maintaining potency.