title: Monitorization of drug content in furosemide and lorazepam tablets stored in multidose pill boxes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Therapeutic nonadherence is a major health problem, particularly when therapeutic regimens are complex and long-lasting. Therefore, tools such as multidose pill boxes have been designed to provide the means for higher therapeutic compliance. However, no studies are available reporting on their capacity to keep the drug content of the stored tablets unaltered.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This work aimed at monitoring the drug content of tablets stored in multidose boxes for a period of two weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Furosemide and lorazepam were selected as model drugs, given their frequent chronic use, which is coherent with the profile of medicines susceptible of storage in the referred boxes. Variations of the tablets drug content were assessed as a function of temperature (25°C and 40°C) and the presence of blister.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The obtained results allowed concluding that concerning temperature, only lorazepam tablets registered drug content alterations and only when stored at 40°C. On the other side, it was concluded that the absence of blister does not compromise the drug content of the studied tablets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the specific conditions of this study, the storage of these medicines in multidose boxes is considered reliable and adequate.
authors.affiliation: School of Health, University of Algarve, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tapiço
authors.forename: Tânia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grenha
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Braz