As suspected, many drugs live on past their expiry. Huzzah!

[Wallis]

I always suspected that drugs were good long after their expiration date, so this solves some long-running family arguments.

Does Medicine Really Expire?

Drugmakers set expiration dates to guarantee a medicine's safety and full potency. How long a drug actually remains effective is often a matter of debate.

www.livescience.com

"A SLEP study in 2006 tested 122 different drugs stored under ideal conditions, and as a result, extended the expiration date of a majority of the drugs in the stockpile by an average of about 4 years. "
I have to assume that this has to do with the drug proving and certification period, when the manufacturers simply can't see into the future to predict longer term shelf life. Of course, obsolesence fosters profit as well as safety.

At least I can keep my Aleves with me until the container is empty!
I've got three years to go.

I am sure that drugs that need to be kept refrigerated are definitely for short term use, but have any solid studies been done on them?
I am just curious how they compare to their expiry dates, such as liquid antibiotics (injectables), vaccines and so on.
~W

 

[zaphraud]

You can always take 'em and find out! Bonus points for placebo effect.

Expired aspirin often smells of vinegar.

Where can we get a list of drugs that actually become dangerous instead of just less potent when they expire? That would be valuable. (example: at some point the expiring aspirin will have much higher concentrations of salicyclic acid, which can irritate the gut.)

 

[Tia Ghose]

I am sure that drugs that need to be kept refrigerated are definitely for short term use, but have any solid studies been done on them?
I am just curious how they compare to their expiry dates, such as liquid antibiotics (injectables), vaccines and so on.
~W

I am not sure, but for expensive medicines such as insulin, I suspect many people do continue to use them past the expiry dates once opened, simply because they cannot afford more. Sad to say, but true.

 

[MzMarie]

I asked my pharmacist why they make the expiration date exactly a year after the full date.. She said That's what corporate instructed them to do. Which leads me to believe that they make more money If you throw out unused medicine and get a refill sooner than really needed.. But even in medicine, profit is more important than the patient! I said I was going to contact the FDA to get their viewpoint on this..
I worked for a bio-hazard waste company, so I know that doctors have to get rid of samples after a certain amount of time, But the meds aren't expired! And I know there are drs who bring expired medicine to Africa! So you can hold on to your meds a little bit longer. I've been wondering if this applies to vitamins as well.