I've been taking some non-drowsy Sudafed sinus headache pills this week. Just now I noticed that the expiration date is/was 03-2003. Am I going to die? Because of this?
Many meds can retain their effectiveness after their printed expiration, but to be safe I suggest spending the few bucks for a new dose.
You're probably fine taking the expired stuff. An interesting article regarding expiration dates: The Link
For most meds the expiration date is overly conservative. For some, like the antiobiotic tetracycline, there are good reasons for strictly adhering to the expiration date. Many liquid antibiotics also have very short periods of stability (you prob shouldn't have had any left over anyway) and some meds have very specific storage requirements (fridge, or keep away from light) in order to insure potency. I think there is a difference too between Sudaphed/Tylenol/Motrin and something like an anticonvulsant for instance. The downside of taking a potentially subpotent or ineffective medication is much greater for some drugs than others. Alot of it also depends on how you stored the drugs. Ironically, the medicine cabinet in the bathroom is probably the worst place to store meds (humidity, temperature fluctuations aren't good for long term stability of the active compound or the tablet/capsule formulation). The best place to keep your meds to prolong their shelf life is a cool, temperature controlled place away from light. A kitchen cabinet or the panty might make more sense than the medicine cabinet for most people. Generally, I tell people that call the pharmacy to destroy any meds that are expired (or over a year from the dispense date) buts thats as much CYA if anythign bad were to happen than anything. Personally, I have taken things (antihistamines, NSAIDs, etc) I found around the house that were a couple years past expiration without worries or negative outcomes. Warning: nothing in this post is meant to imply that it is safe to take expired medications. You should never take expired drugs. Anybody taking expired medications is doing so at their own risk, should know better, and should not report me to the state board if anyting bad happens.
doh, strike that. The panty is definitely not a good place to store your meds. Same issues with regards to temperature and humidity. Might try the pantry as an alternative.
Thanks for the info. Normally I'm cool going a little past the exp. dates, but when I saw this one being 2 years old I figured I should check with HF. I think these were stored in a hall closet for a while, so they should be OK. Plus I've already taken several...
