When do medications really expire

Where is the expiry date? You can find the expiry date on the medicine packaging or on the label. This may say: expiry expiry date expires exp exp date use by use before Expiry dates are put on medicines by: the manufacturer that produces the medicine the pharmacist who supplies the medicine What does the 'expiry date' mean?

What does the 'use by date' mean? For example, your pharmacist may label a medicine: "discard 7 days after opening".

Short expiry dates Some medicines are given a short expiry date, such as: prepared antibiotic mixtures: when the pharmacist adds water to powdered antibiotic, it changes the stability of the product, and the pharmacist will give it an expiry date of 1 or 2 weeks, depending on the product eyedrops: these are usually given an expiry date of 4 weeks after first opening the container, because your eyes are particularly sensitive to any bacteria that might get into the eyedrops How can I dispose of expired medicine?

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A lot of our medicine cabinets are like the Wild West — a sort of dumping ground for every medication we've ever purchased or been prescribed. If you're like me, there's often very little order to it. You may even have several bottles and packs of some medicine-cabinet staples, like pain relievers and cold medicines, and one or two of them are probably expired.

The short answer: No The U. The need for expiration dates is rooted in the fact that medications degrade over time, as well as when exposed to external factors like light and humidity. It's important to know how long and under what conditions a medication remains both safe and effective. As a result, drug manufacturers are tasked with testing a medication's longevity and determining an expiration date accordingly — and there's no guarantee that a medication is still safe or effective beyond this date.

The FDA takes a very firm stance on expired medication, stating that "using expired medical products is risky and possibly harmful to your health" and providing advice on how to properly dispose of expired medication. Medicines are no exception. In , the U. Food and Drug Administration began requiring an expiration date on prescription and over-the counter medicines. The expiration date is a critical part of deciding if the product is safe to use and will work as intended.

Using expired medical products is risky and possibly harmful to your health. Expired medical products can be less effective or risky due to a change in chemical composition or a decrease in strength.