To use out of date medicine?

[DHandhisgrossfoot]

Ok, so I have a reason. I think I may have worms. There's a slight possibility it may be paranoia as the 'symptoms' began soon after some lovely MNer posted up the article about the infested guy in Japan.

Now, either way, I would prefer to treat myself with some medicine just for peace of mind.

I have dug out an old packet of Pripsen dated August 2011. Can I take it? Will I die?

The alternative of having to go purchase worm medicine is slightly less appealing I have to say.

medicine that is 3yrs out of date is more likely to be inactive and have the same therapeutic effect as taking a sugar pill than to be 'poisonous'.

Don't you think it's more likely it just won't work if it's out of date?

That's not what I wanted to hear.

I never usually pay any mind to use by dates. The sniff test is much more reliable. Can't really do that with medicine.

Best to have a clear out of your medical box/cabinet every 6mo or so.

It will probably still work, but might be less effective than fresh medicine. It is unlikely to cause harm.

Out of date medicines & other supplies are foisted upon sent to the third world all the time

Okaaaay so it wont kill me then, I may as well give it a go. At the very least it may have a placebo effect on me.

I would.

I've got some antihistamine from 2009 and they still work!!!

I can happily confirm that Movicol from 2011 works just fine!

When I was living with PILs, I cleared out the medicine cabinet, my MIL had emptied out her father's cabinet when he passed away and kept everything. There was a bottle of kaolin and morphine that was solid and aspirin that expired before I was born!

It probably won't work. Just get some more. Although ... is it liquid? Because I once took some out of date calpol for a headache as that was all I had in the house and I swear it got me pissed - and not in a pleasant way, either. So you might want to watch out for that. I think it had fermented or something.

I tend to abide by the dates if it is digested internally and be more relaxed if it is topical and rubbed on. DH subscribes to the "probably inactive" rather than the "would do you harm" premise.

Tablets, not liquid. I'll take one tonight, and the next one in 2 weeks, as per instructions.

Just found this article:

^It turns out that the expiration date on a drug does stand for something, but probably not what you think it does. Since a law was passed in 1979, drug manufacturers are required to stamp an expiration date on their products. This is the date at which the manufacturer can still guarantee the full potency and safety of the drug.

Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.^

So looking good!

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