Woman's 'life-changing' hack to open medication and dodge annoying leaflet in the way
You'll never face the annoying leaflet insert in packs of medication again with this helpful tip.
If you've ever had to crack open a box of medication, whether prescribed or shop-bought, you'll know all about the paper leaflet – also called a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) – that gives you important information about how to take the product and any potential side effects. You'll also know that it can be quite annoying when that leaflet is wrapped around the medicine you want to take.
It's not exactly the hardest thing to deal with, but it certainly frustrates people enough that one woman has gone viral for sharing an easy trick to avoid the leaflet. Shannon posted a video on TikTok in which she claimed there's actually a simple way to guarantee you'll always open you medication on the side that is unaffected by the leaflet - you just need to look out for one thing on the box.
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Shannon said that the leaflet is always wrapped around the medication on the same side of the box that the expiry date is printed. So, if you open the packet from the opposite end, you'll be able to avoid the annoying paper and take your dose in peace without having to untangle it.
She said: "If you've ever been mildly annoyed that whenever you open some medication, you're confronted by a massive leaflet, it's always the opposite side of the expiry that you should open the medication."
The woman proved her point with two packets of paracetamol from Tesco. She showed the expiry date printed on one edge of the box, and when she opened the packet from the opposite side, she managed to avoid coming face to face with the information leaflet.
And while it might not seem like a hack that's going to revolutionise your life, commenters were definitely amazed. One person even claimed that it was "life-changing", even though others insisted it was "common sense".
One person said: "Not me being a literal pharmacist and only just learning this." Another added: "As someone who opens BOXES weekly to refill my weekly medication box – I fear you may have changed my life." A third stated: "I'm frantically searching how to nominate you for a Pride of Britain award."
Someone else asked Shannon how she found out the information in the first place. She replied by explaining that she studied biomedical science at university and was taught it by one of her lecturers.
Whenever you take a new medication, you should always read the leaflet carefully. It contains vital information on the medicine's active ingredients, how to take it, potential side effects, precautions to take when using it, what to do if you miss a dose, possible interactions with other medicines, and information on storage and expiry dates.