Its almost cold and flu season seasonyes, we still get to enjoy those, even during the pandemic.
Lets say you wake up one morning all stuffed up with a scratchy and sore throat.
(Oops…dont let that happen!)
In general, expired drugs arent likely to kill you, but there are some things you should know.
And we certainly arent going torecommendtaking something that says on its package you should not take it.
But you may be happy to know old pills dont go bad in the same way food does.
They can, however, become less effective over time.
Aside from that, expired medications havent been linked to any dangerous conditions.
Instead, these medications go bad in more subtle ways.
A drugmightstill be good after that date, though.
They arent required to test what happens to the drug after that date.
Thats where things get a bit fuzzy.
Some lasted far longer.
Heres the problem, though.
You cant be sure thatyourbottle ofyourfavorite drug is going to still be good.
If storage conditions arent perfect, the drug probably wont last as long.
And some drugs may just be more stable than others.
The epinephrine in Epi-Pens is, in fact, a drug thatgets significantly less effective after its expiration date.
While youre sitting here thinking about it, you should replace the expired one you already have.
But if you were to have a sudden allergic reaction, any Epi-Pen is better than none.
A less-effective dose of these kind of defeats the point.
You have allergy medication because from time to time you encounter a cat or a tree full of pollen.
But for other drugs, especially prescription ones, you may want to ask yourself why you have leftovers.
If you have leftover antibiotics, for example, youprobably didnt take them as prescribed.
The same goes for opioid painkillers.
Trying to conserve them actually makes youmorelikely to get dependent on them.
And definitely dont keep your leftovers for a rainy day.
Using a powerful painkiller for something minor like a headacheputs you at risk for addiction.
Youll have to use your own judgment to decide if youre comfortable taking a chance on expired drugs.
So, take stock of that medicine cabinet.
Expired allergy meds just mean you should probably make a trip to the drugstore… eventually.
Expired lifesaving drugs should be replaced ASAP.
