Old Medicines- When to stop using

[imoldernu]

The title is the subject. Your thoughts?

Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything

 

[Nightcap]

I've always assumed that a pill was stable by its very nature, and have never cared about expiration dates.

That said, I've got too many vials of stuff that I'll never use again and really need to hand over to the pharmacy or the police. I had a little foot surgery last week that came with a prescription for an opioid painkiller. I didn't even bother filling it. Not only have I found ice and ibuprofen to be superior post-op painkillers, but I could support my retirement selling my unused old opioids in schoolyards.

 

[f35phixer]

friend got fired for using HIS old expired opioid for back pain after helping his dad moving firewood etc. Came back that week and had to take drug test, they wanted to see his precrip. Sorry its expired, you FAILED... Lawyer got involved but he lost it...


Also our police have a dumpoff at their stations for expired meds....

 

[imoldernu]

Here's one that has personal meaning. When the epi-pen shortage problem showed up several months ago, the FDA extended the "use by" date. This is important because of the cost... Full price $340, GoodRX $147.... The use by date is typically 18 months. Price for a 2 pack.

So, for just one person about $100/yr. The new regulations would drop that by about 25%. The number of people who buy the epipen is estimated to be 3.6 million. The number who have to use it is a small fraction of that. The "what if" factor.

The epi-pen is considered to be one of the shortest "shelf life" products.

Consider the effect of the Harvard Study, if all medicines were tested and "use by" dates were changed to reflect the actual shelf life.

What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.

 

[pacergal]

I have kept medications up to 5 or more years past the listed date, or if they looked or smelled different.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Ever since I found out that they don’t expire I keep them.

 

[MRG]

I have some meds that are 10+ years old and work very well. They're viagra so if they didn't work I might know.[emoji12]

 

[JustCurious]

I keep pills or tablets or capsules indefinitely. The drug companies have a strong financial incentive to convince people to throw out perfectly good drugs and buy new ones.

 

[Anna J]

I have some pain meds about 6-8 years old. You never know when you might twist your ankle on the sidewalk curb after leaving the bar at a friend birthday party...just sayin

 

[Sue J]

I have kept some old opioid pain meds from surgeries. I haven’t taken any of them. They are just for “just in case”. I should probably dispose of them.

DH is allergic to bee stings. He keeps Benadryl handy at home and also in his car. If he goes on a hike it’s in his backpack. He buys a new stash whenever his supply gets close to the expiration date. It’s OTC and cheap. You don’t want to worry about effectiveness for something like that.

 

[omni550]

As a bit of background, I was a child in an immigrant family with parents who had survived the Depression, several wars, loss of homeland, etc. We first moved to Canada and years later to the U.S.

My mother had a medicine box with all sorts of potions, pills, etc. that had accompanied us on these moves. I'm sure much of it dated back to the 1940s (maybe even the 1930s), as we had left in 1953. She used that stuff on all of us for years, and it seemed to work OK. (BTW, she and my dad lived to be 88 & 89, so it didn't seem to have harmed them.)

I've always been a bit skeptical of "discard by" dates for health and beauty items. If an item has been stored appropriately and its appearance has not changed, I'm inclined to use it. I keep any left-over pain Rxs and antibiotic Rxs in the fridge. They have come in handy in a pinch.

omni

 

[TwoByFour]

I have a bottle of 10 year old Bourbon. Does that count?

 

[cathy63]

Here's one that has personal meaning. When the epi-pen shortage problem showed up several months ago, the FDA extended the "use by" date. This is important because of the cost... Full price $340, GoodRX $147.... The use by date is typically 18 months. Price for a 2 pack.

So, for just one person about $100/yr. The new regulations would drop that by about 25%. The number of people who buy the epipen is estimated to be 3.6 million. The number who have to use it is a small fraction of that. The "what if" factor.

The epi-pen is considered to be one of the shortest "shelf life" products.

Consider the effect of the Harvard Study, if all medicines were tested and "use by" dates were changed to reflect the actual shelf life.

Epi-pens and any other "always with you" meds like nitroglycerin tabs are the ones I would replace when they expire. They're getting bounced around and are subject to more heat and cold than the stuff in your medicine cabinet. Maybe none of that reduces their effectiveness and it's o.k. to carry them for another two or three or more years past the date on them, but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it.

Fortunately, we don't have any prescriptions like that, and I pretty much ignore expiration dates on meds that are kept in our medicine cabinet.

 

[jollystomper]

I have kept them as long as 2 years beyond the expiration date. I have not felt comfortable taking anything older than that. But perhaps I need to look at more research as this thread has posted.

 

[Walt34]

I have kept some old opioid pain meds from surgeries.

I do the same and there have been a couple of times I was glad I did.

 

[MRG]

As a bit of background, I was a child in an immigrant family with parents who had survived the Depression, several wars, loss of homeland, etc. We first moved to Canada and years later to the U.S.

My mother had a medicine box with all sorts of potions, pills, etc. that had accompanied us on these moves. I'm sure much of it dated back to the 1940s (maybe even the 1930s), as we had left in 1953. She used that stuff on all of us for years, and it seemed to work OK. (BTW, she and my dad lived to be 88 & 89, so it didn't seem to have harmed them.)

I've always been a bit skeptical of "discard by" dates for health and beauty items. If an item has been stored appropriately and its appearance has not changed, I'm inclined to use it. I keep any left-over pain Rxs and antibiotic Rxs in the fridge. They have come in handy in a pinch.

omni

I remember a "black salve" my parents had since they were married in the 1930s. Worked well, was probably opium based.

 

[Sue J]

I do the same and there have been a couple of times I was glad I did.

After the hip replacement the Rx was for round the clock pain meds for something like 10 days and then there was even a refill available. I took a couple of them for a few days and then tapered off. I had enough left over that I could have sold them and covered a part of the deductible!

Yes, I'm kidding.

 

[imoldernu]

A little off the original topic, but on the subject of epipen.

Short story:
Back in 1970, I was stung by a bee .. between the toes while mowing the lawn. No big deal... it hurt and turned red, but I went on to try and finish the lawn. Looked down and the "red" had moved up to my ankle.... then the calf and then the knees and thigh... then both sides... up the leg, and swelling as it went along. About 20 minutes. In another fifteen minutes it had gone to my stomach, and still moving up.

Went into the bathtub and turned on the cold water. the swelling was still moving. DW got the car ready... by then the swelling had moved to my chest and throat, making breathing very difficult.

At the ER they carried me in... not breathing and gave me a shot to save my life. As close as you'd want to come to dying.

After that whenever I was stung (even with the epipen) I'd drive to an ER and just sit in the waiting room... just in case.

Ergo... for years I bought and carried epipens.. at home, at my camp, in both cars. The good news is that I apparently grew out of the allergy, since two years ago, I was stung twice, and didn't have the epi with me.

Sorry to be off topic, but sometimes a "just in case"....

 

[HI Bill]

I'm no MD, but I think certain types of drugs can break down with age, and become toxic. I once took very expired acetominophin (within the accepted dose range), and ended up with a failing liver. I have no idea if there was causation, or just a coincidence in time.

 

[TwoByFour]

What will break down medicines (and everything else) is heat, moisture and oxygen. But that being said, the tendency to lose efficacy is going to vary by a huge amount from drug to drug, and then of course how well protected from each of those things the medicine is. If stored in a hermetically sealed container in the refrig any drug will probably last a very long time. A pill bottle on the shelf in the bathroom is going to be an unknown after 10 years. I wouldn't rely on it being full strength, but if you don't care, it probably doesn't matter if you're taking expired meds. I would never take old antibiotics. The exact dose of those is important.

 

[NW-Bound]

I remember reading somewhere, and it was also mentioned on this forum before, that dry pills last much longer than medicine in liquid form such as cough syrup.

I have a bottle of 10 year old Bourbon. Does that count?

My spirit of preference is Cognac, and the XO grade has to be at least 6 years old according to French laws. In actuality, major Cognac houses make XO blends using batches as old as 20 years.

The much publicized Louis XIII Cognac is blended from many different barrels with age ranging from 40 to 100 years old. I have not tasted it. The price ranges from several thousands to a few $100K. They now have a mini 50mL bottle (1-shot size) for $600.

 

[TwoByFour]

They now have a mini 50mL bottle (1-shot size) for $600.

Blow that dough!

 

[NW-Bound]

I have never paid more than 1/3 of that price. And that was for a whole fifth bottle, not a single shot.

I will wait for RobbieB to lead.

 

[Winemaker]

When they started putting expiration dates on bottled water, I knew something was going awry. However, I have had Coca Cola, and a few other soft drinks go bad, when they ate a hole in the can and partially evaporated. I do have a few old meds from my shoulder surgery from a few years back.

 

[kitesurfer2]

I have some meds that are 10+ years old and work very well. They're viagra so if they didn't work I might know.[emoji12]

10 year old Viagra! don't get much action do you the Dr offered me a years prescription...those two pills were pretty cheap.