Expiration dates on medicine

[SciFiFan53]

Like most of the replies here, I also don't pay too much attention to the expiration dates on medications. I am pretty sure that the pharma companies don't want to go out on a limb from a legal standpoint, so they take the worst case with a 100% safety margin. Most medications will age much quicker in a humid and hot environment - so they probably test things in the worst possible atmosphere - and go with a safety factor from there. Say maybe 100F and 90% RH... If you want to extend the shelf life, keep stuff in the fridge. We routinely keep triple antibiotic, etc. for years that way. Works great.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha ... the one thing that my doctor told me when we talked about expiration dates was not to use asthma inhalers past that date...

I once tried an inhaler I rediscovered in my kitchen drawer. It was perhaps 5 yr old. I had not had a need for it for a long time, and was just testing to see if it worked.

About other drugs, I read or was told that medicine in tablets or dry form lasts much longer than in liquid form. Perhaps that also explains the inhaler going bad.

[teejayevans]

I think it also matters how you store them, on your windowsill or tucked away in a drawer somewhere. The drug companies have to assume worst case, or I'm sure some idiot will sue them when their drugs went bad after storing them on the black dashboard of their car.
TJ

[MikeD]

I have used 9 year *past* their exp date Ambiens (they were name brand) and they worked fine. I have used six month past exp date insulin with poor results. I quit using expired insulin after figgering that conumdrum out. It is an exacting measured dose so if it's not at 100% effectiveness it's unusable.

Mike D.