What happens if you take outdated medication

In this case, you should never take expired medication and call your doctor immediately when a refill is needed. Can Expired Medication Be Harmful? So, is it safe to use that expired medication sitting in your medicine cabinet? It's time to clear up some of the confusion. Why medications have expiration dates The U. The three primary reasons the FDA strongly discourages the use of expired medications are: The chemical composition and potency of a medication can change over time. Holding on to unused drugs may promote prescription drug misuse and abuse, a dangerous practice that is growing at an alarming rate in the U.

A well-managed medicine cabinet reduces the risk of a child or pet mistakenly taking medications. The true shelf life of a medication is complex, however Several studies, including ones conducted by the U.

Page last reviewed: 6 January Next review due: 6 January Home Common health questions Medicines Back to Medicines. Why do medicines have expiry dates? Where is the expiry date? You can find the expiry date on the medicine packaging or on the label.

This may say: expiry expiry date expires exp exp date use by use before Expiry dates are put on medicines by: the manufacturer that produces the medicine the pharmacist who supplies the medicine What does the 'expiry date' mean? Be sure to read the label to see if there are specific storage instructions for your medicine.

Certain medicines need to be stored in the refrigerator and others cannot be exposed to high temperatures. Improper storage — such as a damp bathroom cabinet — can contribute to decreased effectiveness in medicines that have not reached their posted expiration date. For most medicines, to help ensure the proper shelf life of your medicine, it is better to store medicine in a cool, dry place such as a dresser drawer, storage box, closet shelf, or kitchen cabinet.

When storing medicine in a kitchen cabinet make sure that it is away from hot appliances and the sink due to changing temperatures and humidity, which can affect the medicine. Taking out-of-date drugs carries certain risks Out with the old! A column published in Psychopharmacology Today offers some advice. It turns out that the expiration date on a drug does stand for something, but probably not what you think it does. Since a law was passed in , drug manufacturers are required to stamp an expiration date on their products.

This is the date at which the manufacturer can still guarantee the full potency and safety of the drug. 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. So, the expiration date doesn't really indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe to use.

Medical authorities state if expired medicine is safe to take, even those that expired years ago. A rare exception to this may be tetracycline, but the report on this is controversial among researchers.

It's true the effectiveness of a drug may decrease over time, but much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date. Excluding nitroglycerin, insulin, and liquid antibiotics, most medications are as long-lasting as the ones tested by the military.

Placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, will help a drug remain potent for many years. Is the expiration date a marketing ploy by drug manufacturers, to keep you restocking your medicine cabinet and their pockets regularly?

You can look at it that way.