What Happens When You Take Medication After the Expiration Date?

Each prescription and over-the-counter medicines require an expiration date. This date displays how lengthy the producer ensures the security and efficacy of the drug if saved correctly. Whereas many individuals imagine it is protected to take medicines nicely previous their expiration, taking expired medicines may be dangerous and is usually not really useful.

In keeping with the FDA, taking expired medicines may be dangerous. As soon as previous the expiration date, medicine will not be as potent (robust or efficient) or might alter composition, which means the components break down and alter over time.

Many individuals assume that medicines are nonetheless protected previous their expiration, and a few analysis confirms this. In keeping with a 2023 examine, most medicine expire two to 3 years after being made and lots of keep secure and potent to make use of months after they expire. Nonetheless, the examine additionally notes that these tips will not be common for all medicines, particularly people who deal with severe well being situations.

Though not all medicines are harmful after they expire, there are potential dangers. As a drug breaks down, it will possibly lose its effectiveness for treating the supposed situation.

Sure medicine may be dangerous if they are not at full efficiency. Some also can give off poisonous chemical compounds that may trigger unintended negative effects reminiscent of nausea and vomiting.

For instance, much less efficient antibiotics may cause them to fail in treating infections, which may result in antibiotic resistance or extreme issues from infections. In some circumstances, adjustments in composition might trigger a drug to provide off poisonous compounds, which may improve the danger of negative effects.

There’s proof that many medicine retain 90% of their efficiency for no less than 5 years after their expiration date. Nonetheless, this will rely upon a number of elements, together with:

Storage situations: Correct storage, reminiscent of protecting medicine in dry, cool areas away from gentle, may also help prolong their efficiency. Then again, storing medicines in scorching or humid areas might trigger efficiency to lower sooner.Kind of remedy: Liquid medicine, reminiscent of oral (taken by mouth) options and eye drops, are additionally not normally as secure as medicine in stable varieties. This implies liquid medicine could also be extra liable to contamination after expiration in comparison with capsules. Because of this, liquid medicine aren’t as long-lasting as stable kind medicine.Meant use: Some medicines, particularly ones for severe well being situations, shouldn’t be taken after their expiration dates.

Keep away from taking the next medicines in the event that they’re previous their expiration date:

Antibiotics, like tetracycline
Nitrostat (nitroglycerin), a drug that helps relieve angina (chest ache)
EpiPen (epinephrine), a drug for extreme allergic reactions
Insulin
Blood thinners, reminiscent of Coumadin (warfarin) and Eliquis (apixaban)

When you’ve taken an expired remedy and are nonetheless experiencing signs, contact your physician as quickly as doable. When you’re having an allergic response or chest ache, search emergency care.

When you have expired medicines, it is necessary to get rid of them correctly to stop anybody from taking them by chance. The FDA recommends following any particular disposal directions on the remedy’s label. If there are not any, the popular strategy to throw away expired medicines is thru a drug take-back location or a pre-paid drug mail-back envelope. Many retail, clinic, and hospital pharmacies, in addition to police stations, have drug take-back applications.

If there aren’t particular disposal directions and the drug is listed on the FDA’s flush record, you possibly can flush the remedy down the bathroom. If it is not on the flush record, you possibly can throw the drug away in your family trash by doing the next:

Take away the drug from its unique container.Combine the remedy with an unappealing substance, reminiscent of grime, espresso grounds, or cat litter.Put the combination in a sealed container.Throw away the container in your family trash.Take away any private data on the empty remedy packaging and place it within the trash or recycling.

When you have any questions or considerations in regards to the protected disposal of expired medicines, ask your native pharmacist. A pharmacist is a well being skilled who has coaching in dealing with and distributing prescription medicines.

An expiration date displays how lengthy the producer ensures the security and efficacy of the drug. Whereas there’s some proof that medicine retain their efficiency for years after their expiration date, the FDA states that taking expired medicine could also be dangerous. It’s because they will not be as potent as they usually are or might have a change in composition, which may make them much less efficient or improve your danger of negative effects. At all times seek the advice of your physician earlier than taking an expired remedy.