wgriswold wrote: I am a chemist and managed chemical storerooms with hundreds of organic chemicals and none of them came with expiration dates. In thirty years no chemical ever caused problems in our experiments due to going bad over time.
All our Rx's come with a one year expiration date. The variety of chemicals that are represented in our Rx's cannot all degrade at the same rate. I have tried to find research based data for expiration dates and cannot. I have to admit I did not invest a lot of time in this.
There is no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to conduct research to justify expiration dates. The costs of such research will not increase, but rather decrease, their profit. There is an incentive for them to cause us to throw them out after a year because then we will buy replacement drugs. The physicians I have asked about this have all said that they know of no data to support expiration dates, with the exception of Tetracycline.
Often drugs that have expired are donated to poor countries but are rejected because of suspicions about them.
Most Rx's are meant to be taken in their entirety so most of us should not have Rx drugs lying around. I don't worry about OTC, or Rx drugs for that matter, that are a year or so out of date. I have a few Vicodin tabs that I keep for occasional pain that are several years out of date and work just fine when need them once a year or so.
2x and as you stated this is common knowledge by professionals in the medical industry.
There is a lot of bad dope out there about expiration dates.
wgriswold wrote: I am a chemist and managed chemical storerooms with hundreds of organic chemicals and none of them came with expiration dates. In thirty years no chemical ever caused problems in our experiments due to going bad over time.
All our Rx's come with a one year expiration date. The variety of chemicals that are represented in our Rx's cannot all degrade at the same rate. I have tried to find research based data for expiration dates and cannot. I have to admit I did not invest a lot of time in this.
There is no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to conduct research to justify expiration dates. The costs of such research will not increase, but rather decrease, their profit. There is an incentive for them to cause us to throw them out after a year because then we will buy replacement drugs. The physicians I have asked about this have all said that they know of no data to support expiration dates, with the exception of Tetracycline.
Often drugs that have expired are donated to poor countries but are rejected because of suspicions about them.
Most Rx's are meant to be taken in their entirety so most of us should not have Rx drugs lying around. I don't worry about OTC, or Rx drugs for that matter, that are a year or so out of date. I have a few Vicodin tabs that I keep for occasional pain that are several years out of date and work just fine when need them once a year or so.
Bob Vaughn wrote: I guess I need to come up with a chart with maladies and the otc drug to counter it. I was wondering what other rv'ers carry in their medicine cabinets??
We carry almost everything we have at home. Bandaids, topical antibiotic ointments, Aspirins, Tums, Iodine, alcohol and cottonballs etc.
I believe in having a first aid kit but the supplies inside can be decades old. I actually have more than one kit, one for the hiking pack, one for the medicine chest, one in the car. Really if we need emergency supplies they are just that, for an emergency--they are wrapped, right? I don't pay attention to expiration dates. Yeah, I know, may not be the best practice, but I don't notice a change in the potency of stuff like aspirin. Day to day meds just come with as we pack other toiletries. In the kits are the common stuff, pain meds, allergy meds, Tums, antibiotics, gauze wrap, gauze pads, and band aids. Also tweezers, nail clippers, and small scissors are in each kit. If I had to guess I'd say the most replaced items are bandaids and antibiotic cream--we must cut ourselves a lot.
After reading this, it appears the solution is to live in Lynchburg, TN and drink Jack Daniels' Tennessee Honey daily! I need to update my retirement plan!!
one thing on worrying about being out of date or I don't have what I need, most times I personally camp in populated areas. I can drive to get what is needed. Not like I can't get my hands on what is needed at that time.
Quote: no data to support expiration dates, with the exception of Tetracycline.
Sorry, but there is more than just one drug that degrades with time. I.E. the potency per pill can degrade or escalate changing the delivery of the prescribed dosage. What country are you a chemist in?!
"There are certain medications that should NEVER be taken past their expiration date. These include heart medications, particularly nitroglycerin and blood thinners such as warfarin. Drugs used to treat seizure disorders, diabetes, thyroid disease, and asthma should also not be used past the date stamped on the bottle. In most situations, it's best to avoid taking expired medications entirely, unless it happens to be an analgesic medication or other drug that's simply being used to treat a symptom and won't allow a serious medical condition to go only partially treated."
JayWalker2009 wrote: True about the heat ruining the OTC meds far before an expiration date. If you have not left them in the unit year round in heat, pills are often still good past expiration. I have asked this of pharmacists and doctors. The longer they are expired, the more they are just going to lose efficacy. A few months past usually won't affect a thing. Now that is just for pills, not liquids. When you have this issue in the future, it would save you dollars to call up a local pharmacist and tell them what you have, how long it has been expired, and ask if it is likely still good. That way if it is you save time driving to a pharmacy and buying more.
Any pharmacist most likely will tell you *not* to use expired meds of any kind, or will not commit.
Nothing to do with whether you should or not, or whether they are still good or not - it's a liability issue.
I worry about OTC medicines being out of date like I worry about my Bacardi loosing its effectiveness because of age.
David Just rolling along enjoying life w/F53 Southwind towing a 87 Samurai or 01 Grand Vitara looking to golf or fish Simply Despicable Any errors are a result of CRS.
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