Expired Medication

Updated on June 29, 2013
M.C. asks from Louisville, KY
13 answers

What happens to pills when they expire? I have a standing prescription for pain medication, that I very rarely use. I needed a pill the other day, and realized that the bottle I have expired two years ago! (I hate taking medication, so I typically only take it when I can't manage it another way.)

The problem is, the bottle is still full... I have only taken three pills out of it. I hate to have to take those in to be disposed of and pay for a new bottle.

So, does pain medication actually go bad? Is there anything wrong with taking expired medication? (I'll call this a mommy question, because I need to take them to function as a mom. ;) lol)

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So What Happened?

Thanks for the replies!

I think I will ask if there is any way I can get my prescription filled in increments of five pills or something... Hopefully, that could be less cost and less waste...

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P.K.

answers from New York on

2 years! Do not use them. Could be dangerous. If you said two weeks, maybe a month I think that would have been OK but 2 years, no way.

1 mom found this helpful

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J.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

My sister is a pharmacist and she told me that once the pills expire, they lose effectiveness.

3 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

Yes, it does go bad. It's not as effective. Call the pharmacy. See if the pharmacy can dispose of it safely for you, and call your doctor to see if they can give you a new prescription. If the prescription is over two years old then the script itself is expired and needs to be rewritten. Controlled substances need new written scripts every single time anyway.

3 moms found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from Cumberland on

Please don't take it-could damage your liver-a new liver will be far pricier than a new prescription..

2 moms found this helpful
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F.C.

answers from Tampa on

Depending upon the type of pain medication they can very easily hurt your liver. It is one thing to use them a month or so after they expire but 2 years is 2 long

1 mom found this helpful
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P.M.

answers from Portland on

It isn't likely to harm you. It may have lost strength, partly or entirely. If in a snugly sealed bottle that minimized exposure to oxygen and moisture, it may still have most of its potency. Ask your pharmacist for advice, but if it were me, I'd probably try a prescribed dose and see whether it still helps. Don't take more than that, though, without a doctor's or druggist's advice. You wouldn't want to risk an overdose.

1 mom found this helpful

J.B.

answers from Houston on

It might not be as potent as when new, but it shouldn't hurt you.

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E.M.

answers from Louisville on

normally it wont hurt you but it may loose some effectiveness

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N.W.

answers from Eugene on

Nothing magic happens the day the pills expire. The exp date is usually a conservative guess on the part of the manufacturer. But after 2 years I'd be ready to get a fresh batch.

My dr. prescribed a generous number of allergy pills for me. Later I learned from the pharmacist that I could choose to take (and pay for) a smaller amount. Just ask.

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O.O.

answers from Kansas City on

Ask a pharmacist .
My guess would be potency decreases as time passes.
Doubt if it would become harmful.

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J.K.

answers from Wausau on

Most medication simply begins to lose effectiveness over time, but some start to break down into toxic compounds. Ask your pharmacist about your specific medication.

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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

I personaly have take perscirption pain meds and anti inflamitory pills after they have expired cause as like yourself I only take them when absolutly needed and end up with left overs and have times that I just need it to get by. I have never had any bad effects from it.

D.B.

answers from Boston on

Yes it goes bad - the "working" ingredients can weaken, and all the stuff they put in the pills (fillers, waxes, other things to help it pop out of the mold) can deteriorate. I have gotten off of about 5 medications and no longer need any stuff like aspirin or tylenol, so I just went through and cleaned out a whole bunch of stuff that had long since expired. Yes, it annoyed me that I had some nearly-full bottles, but I was also kind of thrilled to realize how long it had been since I had taken anything for pain, headaches, allergies and so on, now that I've gotten rid of all those symptoms through healthier means.

You probably know you cannot put them down the drain or flush them down the toilet, right? That just goes into the water we all use (via sewage treatment or general seepage into the water table) or it clogs the filters in the sewage treatment plants and messes up septic systems. Most towns have a way to collect expired meds (prescription and over the counter painkillers, vitamins, etc.) - our town has a special section on Hazardous Waste Day - we put any stuff we want to get rid of in our cars and drive to the DPW, where trained people sort through them according to hazard level (paints, weed killers, etc.) and the police and maybe drug enforcement people take charge of the medications. Sometimes your Board of Health will have a program as well. You can inquire at that department or the police department - in our town, they are extremely helpful and cooperative.

In the future, you can try to get a smaller prescription for something you don't think you'll take very often - I know that's hard to predict.

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