But you can't seem to throw them away because you suspect they might still be OK to take. If you've wondered whether medicines really do need to be tossed after their expiration date, you've got some company at the California Poison Control System, the University of California, San Francisco, and UC Irvine. Researchers from those institutions decided to satisfy their curiosity by testing the effectiveness of eight drugs that had been sitting around, unopened, in pharmacies for years after they had supposedly gone bad.
These drugs were not just a few years past their prime, these medications were a full 28 to 40 years past their official expiration dates. The eight drugs contained a total of 15 active ingredients.
The researchers couldn't find a standard test for one of them homatropine , so they focused their analysis on the other The tablets and capsules were dissolved and subjected to chemical analysis using a mass spectrometer. That revealed how much of the active ingredients remained in the pills. Out of the 14 active ingredients, 12 were still at high enough concentration - 90 percent of the amount stated on the label - to qualify as having "acceptable potency," the researchers found.
These included:. The only active ingredients that missed that cutoff were aspirin and the stimulant amphetamine. The expiration date on a drug is usually one to five years after it was manufactured. But those dates are often set arbitrarily, since the Food and Drug Administration doesn't require pharmaceutical makers to test how long the active ingredients will last, the researchers wrote.
They noted that the Shelf-Life Extension Program allows drugs in federal stockpiles to be retained for up to months after their stated expiration date if tests show they are still potent. But some of the ingredients tested in this study remained good for months - so far. The research team's obvious conclusion? The analysis was published online Monday by Archives of Internal Medicine. Explore further. Paauw at [email protected]. Skip to main content. Should I throw out my expired medications?
By Douglas S. What do you do? A Replace the prescription for ciprofloxacin. B Replace all three medications. As prescription drugs, Adderall and Mydayis should be used according to your physician's instructions and consumed within one year. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation.
Sophia Mitrokostas. Though all medications have an expiration date on their packaging, most stay potent long after that date. Tablet medications like ibuprofen remain effective for years after being opened. Probiotics and liquid medicines deteriorate faster.
Over 3 Million people read Morning Brew, you should too. Loading Something is loading. Email address. Contrary to popular belief, the medicine cabinet is not the right place to keep your pills. The bathroom is far too hot and steamy for proper storage of medication. Some medications require refrigeration and special handling, Dr. Supe says, so be sure to follow the package directions carefully. You should also consider the source of the medication. There have been many instances where people have purchased medication online from another country due to cost and it has contained rat poison and no traces of the active ingredients it claims to have.
Some medications are simply ineffective after their expiration. Others, like these, are harmful. Vogel says. The best thing to do, Dr.
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