How long can you use medication after expiration date?

How long can you use medication after expiration date?

While it’s best only to use non-expired medications, one study conducted by the U.S. military showed that some medications could retain their potency up to one year after the expiration date has passed.

What happens if you take medicine after expiration date?

Expired medical products can be less effective or risky due to a change in chemical composition or a decrease in strength. Certain expired medications are at risk of bacterial growth and sub-potent antibiotics can fail to treat infections, leading to more serious illnesses and antibiotic resistance.

Are out of date painkillers safe?

Medical authorities state that expired medicine is safe to take, even those that expired years ago. 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.

How long does medicine stay good for after experation date?

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. So the expiration date doesn’t really indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe to use.

Is it OK to take medications after the expiration date?

Mefloquine, an antibiotic to prevent or treat malaria, and Epi-pens (injections of adrenaline for severe allergic reactions) also held up poorly past their expiration dates. The details matter. It may be fine to take an allergy medication that’s a month past its expiration date.

How long is medicine still effective after expiration date?

The expiration date on medication is the date beyond which the manufacturers can no longer guarantee full effectiveness or safe usage. Generally, over-the-counter medicines should have a shelf life of around four or five years . This means they should last around that long after the date they are purchased.

Is it harmful to take antibiotics after the expiration date?

Other liquid antibiotics, including eye drops, are also potentially dangerous when they get old, and should never be used after the expiration date . A key point here is that any bacteria in them have already evolved antibiotic resistance, and you really don’t want them getting into your body if you can help it.