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January 5, 2010 | Comments: 2

Expired Medication: Take or Toss?

Is it okay to use medication after its expiration date? Does medication become ineffective or dangerous, or is the date simply a marketing ploy to get you to buy more? There is disagreement even among professionals.

Expiration dates guarantee that a medication is potent and safe through that date. Most are one to three years after manufacture; some, up to five years. When medication is rebottled by the pharmacist, many states require that it get an automatic one-year expiration date. Expiration dates do not mean, however, that the medication is not effective or safe afterward.

In many cases, a medication is stable far beyond its expiration date. But that’s under ideal situations—and people don’t tend to store medication under optimal conditions. Government testing of stockpiles of military drugs, for example, found that most remained stable for at least a year after their expiration dates (some for 10 to 15 years, with an average of 5.5 years) when sealed in their original packaging. Medication begins to break down, however, after the bottles are opened and when exposed to heat, humidity, light, and temperature fluctuations.

What to do: Many experts agree that it’s not worth taking a chance with expiration dates, especially when the medication is essential. And some essential drugs do degrade relatively quickly—nitroglycerin, insulin, EpiPens (for allergic reactions), and liquid antibiotics, for instance. Liquid medication and those that require refrigeration are generally less stable. There’s no good evidence, however, that expired medication is harmful.

Store medication in a cool, dry, dark place, like the pantry, away from the stove, and not in the bathroom or in your car. Refrigerate if indicated. It may be okay to use pain relievers, cold remedies, sleeping pills, and topical skin creams that are past the expiration date, even if they may be somewhat less effective. But discard expired medication that is essential for your health, and any that is discolored, has a strong smell, or has turned powdery.

Keep in mind: You shouldn’t have much medication past its expiration date anyway. Except for medication intended for occasional use, you either must finish a prescription (such as antibiotics) to fully treat a condition, or you take the medication every day, long term, which means no leftovers.

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