Expired medicine....??

Question

What happens if you take expired medicine? Last night my neighbor gave me some cough syrup to take that expired in 2003, so I didn't take it, but he looked at me like I was a fanatic. Would it still have worked?

Answer 1

While the cough medicine was probably safe and effective, you did the right thing. When you take an expired medication you risk getting an ineffective dose or worse, a compound altered by time. Several decades ago there were several reports of children being harmed by taking out-dated antibiotics, tetracycline, I think.

While on the subject, consider other conditions such as the temperature at which the medicine was stored and the amount of light it was exposed to. Many medicines are sensitive to heat and light and deteriorate faster in those conditions.

Answer 2

You can call a pharmacist and ask.

The main reason for expiration dates is that all medicines have a half-life and break down over time. There is no accurate way to judge what the half-life is of many different types of medicine, so the effectiveness is unknown. Would you have been poisoned? probably not, you may have just found that this didn't work and would have frustrated you more.

For a simple remedy, so that you can sleep at night: Generously rub vicks vapo rub on the bottom of your feet and wear socks to bed. Don't know why, but this works. Also Bananas are a good cough supressant.

I'm not saying don't take the cough medicine, I know I would, just that these are some other things that will help as well.

Answer 3

Any number of things can happen if you take expired medicine. With some, they just don't work any more. With others, you could actually get sick from them. You did the right thing by not taking the expired cough syrup.

Answer 4

It was expired more than 4 years? That is not good, there is a experation date for a reason, eather it will stop working, or worse become something else and be very dangerious. Some medicine may be still usefull beyond there date, but is dangeriours. I would myself be a fanatic about it. If it was a few days or a week, that would be one thing, but not that long.. Thats got to be almost rotton.

Answer 5

do no longer flush them - I continuously concept that's what you have been meant to do (so animals/youngsters could no longer get them) yet i replaced into instructed by many supplies that it somewhat is terrible for the water device. I requested a pair pharmacies once I had some previous drugs to take away - they mentioned they placed them in a sealed bag in kitty muddle and throw them out with the trash. i assume the kitty muddle is to absorb them if the pills/caplets destroy aside, and to make it so animals & pets do no longer consume them?