Drugs Past Their Expiration Date; Are they Safe to use?

You may have wondered whether or not drugs that have passed their expiration date are still save and effective to use. A recent article in The Medical Letter - Volume 51, December 14 2009 reports that Doctors are often asked by their patients if expired drugs can still be taken safely. The answer is entirely dependent on the circumstances of the drug; including what type of drug it is, how it has been stored over a long period of time, and the relative stability of the drug in its original sealed container.

Is expired medication safe to use?

A column published in Pyschopharmacology Today advises that the expiration on a drug is a requirement of a law passed in 1979 where drug manufacturers are required to post an expiration date on their products. This way, the manufacturer can ensure the date at which he can guarantee the full efficiency and safety of the drug. No information on the safety of taking expired drugs has been published. Toxicity due to indigestion, injection, or topical application of drug formulas after their expiration date has not been reported. However, on one occasion it has been reported that the use of degraded tetracycline caused renal tubular damage in a patient. This form of medicine has since been removed from the market. A study conducted by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) requested by the military occurred due to the fact that the military faces tossing out and replacing a large expensive pile of drugs every few years. The study found that 90% of more than 100 different prescription and non-prescription drugs were still safe and effective to use even 15 years after the date of expiration.

Do expiration dates on drugs mean anything?

The Expiration date on the packaging of a drug is based on the stability of the medicine in its original sealed container. The date does not mean that the drug becomes unstable after the indicated date; it means that the drug in its sealed container will still be stable at that point in time. The average expiration date for a drug product in its labeled shelf life is between 1 and 5 years. When the container is opened and used, the expiration date on the container does not apply. The expiration date doesn't necessarily indicate a time in which the medication is ineffective or unsafe. Medical authorities claim that expired drugs are generally safe to take, with the exception of Tetracycline.

Do drugs still work after their expiry date?

The stability of drug products after their expiration dates have been researched. Information from the Department of Defense/FDA Shelf Life Extension Program has shown that 88% of 3005 lots of 122 drug products stored in their unopened containers remained stable for an average of 66 months after their labeled expiration date. Of these, 18% eventually failed in terms of presence of impurities, pH levels, water content, potency, dissolution or appearance. None failed before one year or expiration, and 312 passed tests for more than 4 years past the expiration date. The original effectiveness of medicine may decrease over time; however a lot of its original potency will still remain after the date of expiration. Excluding nitroglycerin, insulin, and liquid antibiotics, many medications are safe to use due to their long-lasting abilities.

How can I store my medication safely?

Placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator will help a drug remain potent for many years. However, storing medicine in heat or high humidity can shorten the life of medications. In a published study, certain medicines such as captopril tablets, cefoxitin sodium powder for injection, and theophylline tablets stored under stressful (hot or humid) conditions remained chemically stable after storage for 25 years and remained fully antiviral after boiling and holding at 65 - 85 degrees Celsius for many days. Another study showed that theophylline retained 90% of its potency 30 years after its expiration date.

Can liquid drugs be used after they expire?

Liquid drugs such as solutions and suspensions are generally not as stable as solid forms of medicine. Solution drugs such as injections, which have become cloudy or discolored, should not be used. The EpiPen loses its potency after its expiration date. In a study of 28 EpiPen 0.3 mg and 6 EpiPen 0.15 mg that was conducted 1-90 months after the expiration date on the auto injector labels, the decrease in epinephrine content was proportional to the number of months past its expiration date. Ophthalmic drugs such as Xaltan, the problem might not be with the stability of the drug, but more about the continue ability of the preservative to prevent microbial growth in the solution.

If you have no other alternative to your expired medication and a splitting headache, outdated drugs may work. There are no current reports of toxicity from degrading products available on the market today. If drugs are stored in reasonable conditions in their original unopened containers, they can retain up to 90% of their original potency for 5 years or more past their expiration date. The EpiPen, however, is an important exception.

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Male Enhancement Gone Terribly Terribly Wrong

If you own a television then you've probably seen the late night advertisements for male enhancements like extenze and all the other pills that promise this and that. But sometimes some people just go too far... way too far.

A man had to call the local fire department when he accidentally managed to get a steel dumbbell stuck onto his penis. The police have reported that the man was attempting to enlarge the size of his penis. Well he succeeded, if only temporarily. His organ had swollen to five times its normal size. That's not a good thing, at least not in this case. Eventually the man was convinced that he had to have the dumbbell removed surgically. It was either that or the flesh in his penis would die. Hmm, tough choice (obvious sarcasm).

Okay let me just say this right now. Do not ever and I mean EVER try something like this. If you really like your penis that much the best thing is to keep it away from steel dumbbells. If you've seriously considered penis enlargement with these oral products I would probably say your money can be spent better elsewhere. The average penis size is about 5-6 or 7 inches. In most cases all you really need is about 4 inches though. However, if you really do feel like you need to take these male enhancements then please talk to your doctor first. He or she will probably tell you not to stick your penis into a steel dumbbell.


DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23), offers low cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online Canadian pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com.

For more information on how to order Canada drugs safely and securely call 1-866-732-0305 or visit http://www.doctorsolve.com/ - a trusted and reliable Canadian online pharmacy since 1999.

Mortality Rate From Unintended Injury Rises. Americans Are Poisoning Themselves To Death

Would you be surprised if I told you that in a span of about 6 years (1999-2005) the mortality rate from unintended injury rose by 11% in the United States? Well you should be. Those numbers are almost too high to believe, but the statistics are completely true.

The truth of the matter is we're slowly killing ourselves. There have been unusually high spikes in poisoning deaths and deaths from falls. The deaths from falling may be just due to older age or simply because someone had a few too many drinks and accidentally fell off a cliff. However, the fact that poisoning deaths increased in dramatic fashion is what really scares me. America, you've become one big drug addict.

I'm not saying that drugs (prescription drugs) are bad, many people rely on some of these medications to live. However, when you start taking pills for sleeping, upset stomachs, muscle pain, sneezing, that weird twitch in your eye, etc, it starts to add up. Over medicating is a very real problem in America that often goes overlooked.

When anyone starts taking more drugs than they can remember, there is definitely going to be problems. There is only so much your body can take. It's kind of like alcohol, sure a drink every so often is okay, but when you go get totally smashed every night for a lengthy period of time then expect there to be some sort of damage to your body. People begin to think that if something isn't illegal it won't harm you and that's where many people are wrong.

My grade 11 teacher told me that North American society is the most medicated society in the world. He couldn't have been more right. It seems to me that people are just taking pills because they can. If your having trouble sleeping try working out, putting some soft music on don't pop a pill. America you need some serious rehab. Hopefully the citizens will listen up and give you what you need.

DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23), offers low cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online Canadian pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com.

For more information on how to order Canada drugs safely and securely call 1-866-732-0305 or visit http://www.doctorsolve.com/ - a trusted and reliable Canadian online pharmacy since 1999.

"Dead By Mistake"

Medical errors have causing an alarming amount of preventable deaths in the United States.-

An estimate 200,000 Americans will die in 2009 due to preventable medical errors and hospital infections. So you have to ask yourself, do you feel safe? I am not so sure anymore. I the fact that yes, we are all human and we do make some mistakes. However, 200,000 preventable deaths in 2009 alone is unacceptable. I cannot comprehend how after 10+ years of post-secondary schooling that many people are killed due to a mistake. No longer should it be consider "Dead By Mistake," instead maybe is should be more appropriately name "Sorry I wasn't sure if I was supposed to cut the red or blue one," or what about "Maybe I should've been paying more attention," or how about "Oops!"

Someone needs to address this current statistic. There should not be this many accidental deaths in a modernized country such as ours. It is simply not good enough. Some new set of rules need to be put in place. Maybe an investigation team that determine how great a mistake was made. Maybe place cameras in the operating room so if someone does die by mistake the tape can be reviewed and higher powers can punish the doctor that was responsible appropriately.

Whatever is suggested, something does need to be done. I don't feel safe anymore, I don't have faith in doctors, who are supposed to be some of the most educated people in the country. Something needs to be done, something needs to be changed.

DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions Inc., a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC X23), offers low cost, long-term prescription drugs. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all Canadian prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online Canadian pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com.

For more information on how to order Canada drugs safely and securely call 1-866-732-0305 or visit http://www.doctorsolve.com/ - a trusted and reliable Canadian online pharmacy since 1999.