Is It Safe to Use Expired Medications?
Should you toss your medications after the expiration date or keep them, remains a widely debated topic. Though studies have shown some medications keep their potency far past their expiration dates, for most medications, the expiration date is there for a reason.
Here are just a few examples of situations where using expired medications might do more harm than good:
- Some medications are more sensitive to the environment that others. Factors like temperature, sunlight, and humidity can cause many medications to break down and lose their strength. It’s always wise to read any warnings on the medication labels. For instance, some medication is so sensitive to moisture that the manufacturer recommends you keep the medication in its original container and discard it 4 months after opening the bottle. In other words, the clock starts ticking on these products from the moment you open the bottle.
- Some medications that are naturally more shelf-stable can become less so when mixed with other components. Let’s look at petroleum jelly. While petroleum jelly technically is not considered a drug, it is sometimes used in ointments or in compounded agents. In its pure form, petroleum jelly is waterproof and has an almost indefinite shelf life. But when you add other ingredients to it such as hydrocortisone that attract moisture, it shortens its lifespan.
The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires manufacturers to test their medications for stability and storage conditions. Companies use this information to figure out a date after which the medication may lose its potency. Keeping medications after their medication dates can be extremely tempting - especially when they cost so much. But to be in the clear, next time you’re wondering about whether some old medication you have laying around is still good, ask our pharmacist.
