Few health subjects produce more controversy than that of the cost of drugs, and the protective shield that the pharmaceutical companies place around the efficacy and safety of their products. The warnings and disclaimers that accompany the advertising are required to absolve the companies from legal responsibility as determined by the FDA.
With the advent of Medicaid D, and private insurance that covers a major part of the expense, there is a tendency to forget the total actual cost, and to accept whatever the "common knowledge" is about drug safety.
Instead of citing articles on the subject, I'd suggest googling "drug expiration dates", and perhaps Military (Army and Airforce) studies from 2009 that showed that 90% of drugs that were beyond the expiration dates were in fact safe, some with a shelf life of ten years or more.
Erring on the side of safety is always best, but often at a significant cost. The question is does anyone care?
Back in the 1990's, my doctor prescribed naproxen (Naprosyn) for what we thought was arthritis, but was actually caused by the the cholesterol drugs I had been taking... statins and lipitor... Since the pills were essentially free (co-pay $2) I continued to get 60 pills/mo... for several years, even though I wasn't using them every day. Now, nearly 20 years later, I still have a goodly supply, and with a touch of arthritis, still take these old pills... with good results, and no side effects. The expiry date on the pill bottles go back to 1996.
A second, common drug... bought, but not commonly used is epinepherine (EpiPen). For those of us with severe allergies (mine to bee stings)... the epipen is a potential lifesaver. Every year since 1965, I have bought two new injectors... currently full cost about $80+... The printed expiration date is about a year from purchase. A recent (2009) study indicates that the injector is relatively safe to use (in case of an emergency) as long as the color has not changed. I found an old, forgotten Epipen in my glove compartment that was 4 years old, and the color was still clear.
Most of the articles on the subject seem to indicate that generally, solid tablets or pills have a longer shelf life, than do liquids, though even that is dependent on the drug. The Army study of 100 drugs indicate that 90% were still effective and safe several years after the expiriation date.
Here's a year 2000 WSJ report on that.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB954201508530067326
Not meant to change any minds, but I've decided to take a chance on my Epipen purchase this year, since I haven't had to use even one in the past 49 years.
Hmmm... thinking about risk... reminds me that I'll be needing new brakes on my car this year.
With the advent of Medicaid D, and private insurance that covers a major part of the expense, there is a tendency to forget the total actual cost, and to accept whatever the "common knowledge" is about drug safety.
Instead of citing articles on the subject, I'd suggest googling "drug expiration dates", and perhaps Military (Army and Airforce) studies from 2009 that showed that 90% of drugs that were beyond the expiration dates were in fact safe, some with a shelf life of ten years or more.
Erring on the side of safety is always best, but often at a significant cost. The question is does anyone care?
Back in the 1990's, my doctor prescribed naproxen (Naprosyn) for what we thought was arthritis, but was actually caused by the the cholesterol drugs I had been taking... statins and lipitor... Since the pills were essentially free (co-pay $2) I continued to get 60 pills/mo... for several years, even though I wasn't using them every day. Now, nearly 20 years later, I still have a goodly supply, and with a touch of arthritis, still take these old pills... with good results, and no side effects. The expiry date on the pill bottles go back to 1996.
A second, common drug... bought, but not commonly used is epinepherine (EpiPen). For those of us with severe allergies (mine to bee stings)... the epipen is a potential lifesaver. Every year since 1965, I have bought two new injectors... currently full cost about $80+... The printed expiration date is about a year from purchase. A recent (2009) study indicates that the injector is relatively safe to use (in case of an emergency) as long as the color has not changed. I found an old, forgotten Epipen in my glove compartment that was 4 years old, and the color was still clear.
Most of the articles on the subject seem to indicate that generally, solid tablets or pills have a longer shelf life, than do liquids, though even that is dependent on the drug. The Army study of 100 drugs indicate that 90% were still effective and safe several years after the expiriation date.
Here's a year 2000 WSJ report on that.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB954201508530067326
Not meant to change any minds, but I've decided to take a chance on my Epipen purchase this year, since I haven't had to use even one in the past 49 years.
Hmmm... thinking about risk... reminds me that I'll be needing new brakes on my car this year.
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