Shelf Life of Meds-Expiration Dates

Drugs may outlast label date

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05150/512789-114.stm

Billions may be discarded due to makers' expiration time

Monday, May 30, 2005
By Michael Woods, Post-Gazette National Bureau

With a migraine headache threatening, reach for Imitrex, the prescription drug that brings these debilitating headaches to a screeching halt. The pharmacy label warns: "Discard after February 2005." Those tiny tablets cost $16 each, almost their weight in gold.

Can you still take it in May? Ask the same questions for scores of other prescription drugs, which cost people in the United States more than $160 billion annually.

The expiration dates on jugs of milk and cartons of yogurt tell consumers when a product goes bad. That may not always be true with the labels on prescription drugs, according to research that includes a little-known government testing program.

Government tests have found that some drugs stay fresh for years longer, enabling the military to save millions of dollars in replacing "expired" drugs. While the American Medical Association has urged the pharmaceutical industry to see if consumers are wasting money by pitching drugs that are still safe and effective, nothing has been done.

The research raises questions about how seriously consumers should take expiration dates on some medicines but leaves them without key information to make decisions, according to Dr. Stephen R. Byrn, an expert on drug stability at Purdue University.

"A consumer really needs to know what they are doing to take a drug that has expired," Byrn said. "In most cases the data to support using drugs past their expiration date is not available, so, of course, consumers would not be able to get this information."

In dispensing pills, pharmacists use the manufacturer's expiration date to ...   ---CONTINUED---

Expired, or Not Expired… That is the Question
https://tracemypreps.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/expired-or-not-expired-that-is-the-question/

What medications* do we keep in our preps? We store: 1) over-the-counter (OTC) drugs: ibuprofen (Motrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), aspirin, diphenhydramine (Benadryl), pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), loratadine (Claritin), guaifenesin (Mucinex), and 2) antibiotics (that I recently posted about): amoxicillin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, metronidazole.

How long can they be stored? They have expiration dates, does that mean they go bad?

Let’s start with ---CONTINUED---

RECOMMENDED READING Invaluable information regarding expiration dates of medicines!

The Truth About Expiration Dates
http://www.doomandbloom.net/the-truth-about-expiration-dates-2/

As a physician, I get a lot of questions about expiration dates on medications and whether medications should be thrown out once they hit that date. Those of us in the preparedness community accumulate medicines for use in an uncertain future. Part of the uncertainty is if and when a collapse situation will descend on our society. Even government agencies wonder if their medical supplies will still be effective; it’s time to clear the air about what an expiration date really means.

Expiration dates have been mandated for medications since 1979. This is what they mean: The expiration date is the last date that the pharmaceutical company will guarantee that the drug is at 100% full potency. There is nothing, except in very rare cases, that suggests ... --- CONTINUED---

The Myth of Drug Expiration Dates
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-myth-of-drug-expiration-dates

Hospitals and pharmacies are required to toss expired drugs, no matter how expensive or vital. Meanwhile the FDA has long known that many remain safe and potent for years longer.

by Marshall Allen July 18, 2017, 5 a.m. EDT

(Snip): The age of the drugs might have been bizarre, but the question the researchers wanted to answer wasn’t. Pharmacies across the country — in major medical centers and in neighborhood strip malls — routinely toss out tons of scarce and potentially valuable prescription drugs when they hit their expiration dates.

Gerona and Cantrell, a pharmacist and toxicologist, knew that the term “expiration date” was a misnomer. The dates on drug labels are simply the point up to which the Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical companies guarantee their effectiveness, typically at two or three years. But the dates don’t necessarily mean they’re ineffective immediately after they “expire” — just that there’s no incentive for drugmakers to study whether they could still be usable. ... ---CONTINUED---

Investigative Report: Do Antibiotic Expiration Dates Matter?
http://thesurvivaldoctor.com/2015/08/05/expired-antibiotics/

The expiration date is not a magic number. This is one of the first things preppers (preparedness-minded people) learn when they start stockpiling. Shelf-stable products tend not to suddenly go rancid on the stamped date. Sometimes they last a long time after that.

Their quality, however, may begin to decrease. A can of vegetables that’s a while past its date may not taste as good. A supplement may be less potent. An antibiotic may not work as well.

The first two situations won’t necessarily kill you. That last one? It could. If the antibiotic doesn’t pull its weight, you’re at the mercy of the infection—which, thanks to that weak medicine you just took, has likely mutated into an antibiotic-resistant strain. Whoops.

So as a prepper, if you store antibiotics, should you immediately replace them when they’re expired? ---CONTINUED---

The Hidden Truth About Taking Expired Medications
http://www.askaprepper.com/hidden-truth-taking-expired-medications/

  Let’s get right to it. Your medicine cabinets look just like mine. If one equals none than its stands to reason that you have extra meds. You may even have some meds that don’t apply to anyone in your home. For me there are two motivations for having “too much” OTC medication around.

(SNIP)   Because your stockpile will most likely expire, let’s explore the full story on expired medications.

In fact, good health is well worth an expiring medicine cabinet. Still, you want to be able to put these meds to use and like everything else in your stockpile you should know whether these medicines are safe to use or not. Let’s take the guesswork out of medications.   ---CONTINUED---

Although, these are not prescription drugs, vitamins are important during a SHTF. Here's a good article on the expiration of vitamins and if it's safe to take them after that date:


https://theprovidentprepper.org/shelf-life-of-vitamin-supplements-in-a-survival-food-supply/

The Truth About That Expiration Date on Your Vitamins and Medications
https://www.theorganicprepper.com/expiration-date-vitamins-medications/

  Do you have vitamins, supplements, and prescription medications stored up to help you stay healthy during a worst case scenario? One thing you may have been concerned about was the expiration date on those bottles.

Placing a vitamin or medication in a cool and dry place will help it remain potent for many years.  It is important for us to know this and have good supplements on hand in the case of emergencies. Read on, because you will be surprised how long they last.   ---CONTINUED---

What Really Happens When You Take Antibiotics After Their Expiration Date
https://www.askaprepper.com/what-really-happens-when-you-take-antibiotics-past-their-expiration-date/

  We all know that the expiration date on food is more of a guideline than a rule that has to be followed strictly – but what about antibiotics? Every medicine sold in the USA comes with an expiration date marked on the package, but a lot of us don’t take these too seriously. Medicines seem like they should last a lot better than food. Leave a Tylenol caplet and an apple on the counter and see which one rots first. No prizes for getting that one right.

Sadly it isn’t that simple, though. Medicines might not visibly spoil like food, but their active ingredients can break down over time.   ---CONTINUED---

What You Need to Know About Expired Prescription Drugs
https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/expired-prescription-drugs/

  The topic of using expired prescription drugs comes up frequently in survival and preparedness circles.  Although there are many articles detailing with the efficacy of outdated meds, one question I get over and over again is “what do I do when the meds run out?”

Whereas there is no single clear answer, one thing we can all start to do now is hang on to our old, unused meds.  For the most part and with very few exceptions, they will be viable for two to twelve years beyond their expiration date.  The secret is to ...   ---CONTINUED---

Storage and Shelf Life of Over-the-Counter Medication
https://commonsensehome.com/storage-and-shelf-life-of-over-the-counter-medication/

Most people give very little thought to the storage and shelf-life of over the counter medication, beyond keeping things out of the reach of children. If you stock one or emergency medical kits, you may end up storing medications for longer periods of time. How long is too long to store over the counter medication, and what’s the best way to store it? ---CONTINUED---

Includes:
-Storage and Shelf Life of Over-the-Counter Medication – How Long is Too Long?
-How to Correctly Store Medication
-Which Medications Should NOT be Taken Past Their Expiration Date
-Further Medication Safety Precautions
-Other Medical Equipment and Medication Options

Remove These 14 Things from Your Medicine Cabinet Immediately
https://www.askaprepper.com/remove-these-14-things-from-your-medicine-cabinet-immediately/

  (SNIP) ... we really should clean out our medicine cabinets from time to time. Some people say that we should do so twice a year, when we change our clocks. If you can’t do that, then at least make it part of your spring cleaning; so that you know that anything in there is at least reasonably sure of still being useful. ---CONTINUED---

The Real Expiration Date of Common Drugs in Your Cabinet
https://www.askaprepper.com/the-real-expiration-date-of-common-drugs-in-your-cabinet/

  Editor’s Note: This article is for information purposes only. We do not advocate for the use of medications outside their formal licensing and hold no liability for the consequences this may lead to.

(SNIP) ... the US government established the Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP), in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to investigate and extend the shelf life of drugs commonly stockpiled for use in the military. Many were found to be safe and effective long past their licensed expiration date, and had their shelf life extended for military and emergency use.   ---CONTINUED---

Shelf-Life Extension Program
https://prepschooldaily.blogspot.com/2018/11/tips-and-tricks-shelf-life-extension.html

(SNIP) ... Have you ever wondered about those "use by" dates printed on the bottles of your prescriptions and over-the-counter medications? Have you ever suspected that if, say, aspirin in a bottle labeled "use by November 2018" was safe to take on November 30, 2018, that it might also be safe to take on December 1, 2018?

Wonder no more. ---CONTINUED---

I'm currently working to restock my herbal and OTC cabinets. Been rotating stuff out as needed, and stocking other products as I learn more.