Ask the Pharmacist: Prescription Expiration Dates – July The test for whether or not you should take any medication is, first, will it be safe? Will it do me any harm? And second, will it be effective?
Beyond the manufacturer’s expiration date, We don’t know for sure that it will be safe and effective. It doesn’t necessarily mean that one day after, that they burst into flames or anything like that. But it does mean that they have not put their assurance through testing and through scientific data that it will be both safe and effective after that date.
For example, the chemical compound that is in that medication. The active ingredient, the thing that makes it work for you may degrade over time. If you’re talking about a lifesaving medication or something that you count on to keep an infection under control or something you count on to be able to keep your heart rhythm going at the same rate, then not being effective maybe just as bad as the tablet itself not being safe anymore.
Keeping medications around that you no longer need or ones that are expired is dangerous. And it’s dangerous for a variety of reasons. For one thing, any time it’s in your possession, it could fall into the hands of someone who could be harmed by it, like a child or a pet, or it could be stolen.
Many narcotic medications that lead to overdoses and your use outside of a prescription didn’t come from a source on the street. That didn’t come from anything like that. They came from a family member’s medicine cabinet.
The best way to dispose of them is to find a registered drug take back facility. And that sounds fancy, but what that really means is typically a local pharmacy. You’re able to walk right up, it’s anonymous, you just put your medications in the dropbox, and they’ll properly dispose of it for you in a way that’s safe and it’s good for the environment.
So if you’re in a situation where the only medication you have access to happens to be past its expiration date, there are many cases where in an emergency situation like that, there might be other things that are possible for you to get an emergency supply of the medication. Or it may even be recommended to take that to prevent you from going without your dose. And so the best thing to do before you make that decision is to call your pharmacist. Call your prescriber, if they’re available. But otherwise, you can call your pharmacist and they can help you make an informed decision on what to do and how to make sure that you don’t miss your dose.
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JUSTIN VESSER
The test for whether or not you should take any medication is, first, will it be safe? Will it do me any harm? And second, will it be effective?
Beyond the manufacturer’s expiration date, We don’t know for sure that it will be safe and effective. It doesn’t necessarily mean that one day after, that they burst into flames or anything like that. But it does mean that they have not put their assurance through testing and through scientific data that it will be both safe and effective after that date.
For example, the chemical compound that is in that medication. The active ingredient, the thing that makes it work for you may degrade over time. If you’re talking about a lifesaving medication or something that you count on to keep an infection under control or something you count on to be able to keep your heart rhythm going at the same rate, then not being effective maybe just as bad as the tablet itself not being safe anymore.
Keeping medications around that you no longer need or ones that are expired is dangerous. And it’s dangerous for a variety of reasons. For one thing, any time it’s in your possession, it could fall into the hands of someone who could be harmed by it, like a child or a pet, or it could be stolen.
Many narcotic medications that lead to overdoses and your use outside of a prescription didn’t come from a source on the street. That didn’t come from anything like that. They came from a family member’s medicine cabinet.
The best way to dispose of them is to find a registered drug take back facility. And that sounds fancy, but what that really means is typically a local pharmacy. You’re able to walk right up, it’s anonymous, you just put your medications in the dropbox, and they’ll properly dispose of it for you in a way that’s safe and it’s good for the environment.
So if you’re in a situation where the only medication you have access to happens to be past its expiration date, there are many cases where in an emergency situation like that, there might be other things that are possible for you to get an emergency supply of the medication. Or it may even be recommended to take that to prevent you from going without your dose. And so the best thing to do before you make that decision is to call your pharmacist. Call your prescriber, if they’re available. But otherwise, you can call your pharmacist and they can help you make an informed decision on what to do and how to make sure that you don’t miss your dose.
