Why is cotton in pill bottles

So there you have it, cotton balls are no longer needed. Bayer actually stopped putting them in their products way back in After what I learned from my rabbit hole-cotton-ball mystery, I also discovered that some drug manufactures still include the cotton ball. Many consumers just came to expect it to be there. I guess I did, so that totally checks out. Oh by the way, if you still have a cotton ball in your meds, discard it when you first open the pill bottle.

It is not needed after opening. Johnny Marks Published: June 30, Share on Facebook Share on Twitter. Cotton was first introduced in pill bottles when Bayer began pressing powder into tablets. At the time, the process was far less sophisticated than what manufacturers can accomplish today using a modern tablet press machine. As a result, the tablets would break apart more easily inside their container.

To help protect consumers and ensure product integrity, the company began placing cotton in their pill bottles to prevent the pills from moving.

The logic was that the less the pill moved inside the bottle, the less chance it would have to break. While including cotton in pill bottles has received criticism over the years, there are still some practical benefits of continuing the practice.

These include, but are not limited to:. The consumer experience drives all aspects of supplement manufacturing. The lid of a pharmaceutical bottle must be easy to open for adults, yet difficult for children.

Pill sizes must be big enough to deliver the appropriate dose, but also small enough that someone can reasonably swallow it.

Similarly, many people expect there to be cotton greeting them when they open a new bottle of over-the-counter pharmaceutical products.

If for no reason other than appealing to the consumer, placing cotton in the bottle can be a key component of the end-user experience. Since cotton was first placed inside a pill bottle one hundred years ago, the original purpose remains the same.

Cotton is primarily intended to restrict product movement inside the packaging. Just like in the s, many customers expect to see a ball of cotton in their pill bottles. But there's no need to feel like you have to keep it in the bottle to ensure your medication stays safe or potent. In fact, the National Institute of Health NIH actually recommends removing any cotton inside a pill bottle because it can draw moisture inside and damage your medication via MedlinePlus.

Other tips by the NIH for properly storing medication include keeping the bottles in a cool, dry place away from harsh light. Heat, air, light, and moisture can all cause damage to pills. While many people store their medications in the bathroom, the NIH advises against this location because bathrooms tend to be warm and humid.

These factors can affect the potency of medication and even cause it to expire early.