Using medication after the expiration date

[Gvac]

Doc - expired medicine...any harm in taking it?

I found some old tablets in the medicine cabinet, and they expired July of 2008. Does that just mean they may have lost some potency, or is it dangerous in any way to take 'em?

The package was never opened, by the way.

Thanks.

[Dr Steve]

Doc - expired medicine...any harm in taking it?

I found some old tablets in the medicine cabinet, and they expired July of 2008. Does that just mean they may have lost some potency, or is it dangerous in any way to take 'em?

The package was never opened, by the way.

Thanks.

It depends on the medication, actually. If it's nitroglycerine, it DOES go bad...it breaks down after awhile and needs to be replaced. This is really bad for people who have chest pain (angina) only every year or so. They reach for the two year old bottle of nitro and it doesn't work...it's heart attack time.

Most medications work just fine after the expy date; it's just that they haven't studied the medication for a shelf-life longer than they listed on the bottle, or it changes color a little or something small like that that the FDA requires them to give it an expiration date that takes those things into account. I can't think of any medications that actually become TOXIC or anything after their expiration date. Perhaps a pharmacist out there can give us some interesting examples.

I do know that some antibiotic liquid suspensions go bad if they sit too long.

Let me know what medication it was and I may be able to find out something for you from the manufacturer. If it's Viagra, it holds up pretty well after the expiration date, according to my research.

your pal,



steve

[Gvac]

It depends on the medication, actually. If it's nitroglycerine, it DOES go bad...it breaks down after awhile and needs to be replaced. This is really bad for people who have chest pain (angina) only every year or so. They reach for the two year old bottle of nitro and it doesn't work...it's heart attack time.

Most medications work just fine after the expy date; it's just that they haven't studied the medication for a shelf-life longer than they listed on the bottle, or it changes color a little or something small like that that the FDA requires them to give it an expiration date that takes those things into account. I can't think of any medications that actually become TOXIC or anything after their expiration date. Perhaps a pharmacist out there can give us some interesting examples.

I do know that some antibiotic liquid suspensions go bad if they sit too long.

Let me know what medication it was and I may be able to find out something for you from the manufacturer. If it's Viagra, it holds up pretty well after the expiration date, according to my research.

your pal,



steve

It's just basic cough and cold medicine, like Advil cold & sinus and shit like that.

[Death Metal Moe]

I thought I had heard some meds lose potency after time, but if kept dry most don't go "bad" so to speak.

[Dr Steve]

I thought I had heard some meds lose potency after time, but if kept dry most don't go "bad" so to speak.

yeah, what they're saying is that they don't guarantee the potency of the medication after the expiration date. Mostly it just takes time to let stuff sit on the shelf for 10 years, take it out and test it, and then apply for an expiration date. That's 10 years down the line when you WANT to get your drug on the shelves as soon as possible, so a lot of drugs have, say, a 6 month expiration date because they weren't studied beyond that time frame.

[TheMojoPin]

I laughed so fucking hard seeing that Dr. Steve framed his question around nitro pills, like Gvac was likely to have them.

WATCH THAT TICKER, POPS!

[hunnerbun]

Don't forget the Viagra reference also...:laugh:

[FutssnabaptemaSar]

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[spoon]

[QUOTEspoon quotes spammy spammer[/QUOTE]

Here's a spammer who clearly stays on topic!

[instrument]

is moldy penicillin extra strong?

[boosterp]

OT: In the Army we often used meds that were expired. Reason is we store them in airtight dark containers in a cool warehouse. A panel of pharmacists come out recertify the meds and they are shipped to us in the field.

You can not say that your bathroom (worst place to store meds) is under the same conditions though.