Understanding Medication Expiration Dates
Do you find yourself reaching for those old eye drops from years ago wondering if they are any good? Maybe you want to clean out your medicine cabinet to get rid of your old medications. Follow along to learn more about medication expirations and what to do when they expire.
What Does An Expiration Date Mean?
Expiration dates represent the latest date that medications keep their intended strength and purity. After that, the effectiveness decreases over time, resulting in less action.
Why are Expiration Dates Important?
While most medications simply become less effective after their expiration, others may cause harm if used after their expiration. Examples include:
Eye drops
Eye drops stay good for 1 month after opening. After that, the preservatives lose effectiveness and bacteria can grow. This bacteria could lead to infections of the eye.
EpiPens
Ensure EpiPens are not expired so you know when to refill them. It is important to have an injection device with full potency in case of emergency when you or someone you love has a severe allergic reaction. Even if you notice the EpiPen is expired, still use it in the event of an allergic reaction. Less potency is better than nothing and could save someone’s life.
Nitroglycerin
Studies say to refill and replace nitroglycerin tablets every three to six months. Over time, the tablets lose their potency and will not work as well, which can prevent relief from chest pain. This depends upon storage conditions, such as high temperatures and humidity. The best test is to visually inspect tablets to make sure they have not dissolved.
Liquid antibiotics
Liquid antibiotics lose potency after expiration. This means that it won’t effectively kill off the infection. Even worse, using less potent antibiotics can cause bacteria to build immunity and become harder to kill.
Insulin
Expired insulin can result in poor control of blood sugars. Visually inspect your insulin for clumps or strings to see if it has gone bad - note: this may be normal for cloudy insulins like NPH.
Keep insulin pens in the fridge until you use them to keep them from expiring. Once opened, you can keep your insulin pens at room temperature, but the time they are good for varies depending on the type of insulin.
How To Store Your Medications
To help your medications stay good until their expiration, try these storage tips:
Store drugs in a cool, dry place
Avoid putting drugs in bathroom cabinets, as the humidity from showers can affect their potency
Keep medications in original containers unless using a pill organizer
Store out of reach of children
My Medications Expired…Now What?
Try to find a place that takes your drugs.
DEA Take Back Day in the spring and fall.
Type “drug disposal near me” in Google maps.
Flush them down the toilet.
The FDA recommends patients flush some drugs down the toilet*. If a drug is an opioid, it is usually recommended to flush it to prevent animals or children from accidentally ingesting it.
*While some may worry flushing drugs will cause water supply contamination, drugs in our water supply generally come from people eliminating drugs from their bodies.
If not on the flush list, medications may be thrown away.
We hope you learned more about medication expiration dates. Make it a spring cleaning activity and go through your cabinets. While you’re at it, move those medications from your bathroom to a cool, dry place, like your kitchen or bedroom. Once you find all your expired medications, search for the nearest drug take-back center near you.