To take out of date medication

[Haphazardhacker]

Thursday night I had a nasty headache and took a painkiller. I usually take paracetamol or ibuprofen. I took a supermarket branded painkiller that had aspirin in it. It did the trick and I didn’t think anymore of it.

Friday morning get the most extreme hunger pangs that are satisfied by eating but only for about 30 minutes so to avoid discomfort I have to have a little snack pretty much every half hour.
I know what this is, the aspirin must have pissed off my stomach, had this about three years ago when I was in a lot of dental pain and paracetamol wouldn’t touch it so took ibuprofen. Ended up with a stomach ulcer and luckily doctors gave me codeine without too much grief.

Anyway can usually manage to take the odd ibuprofen without issue but the aspirin must have set it off.

Am I being unreasonable to take September dated Lansoprazole? I know what the problem is, and how to sort it . I’ve been up this weekend every 30 mins to eat and I’m exhausted. I don’t want to go to our hours as it’s not an accident or an emergency.

Will I kill myself if the tablets are a bit out of date?

It will be fine. Some out of date meds might become less effective, but can’t see how they would become dangerous

The only ones you really shouldn't take out of date are antibiotics- if they don't work properly they could create a resistance in the bacteria.

Very much doubt aspirin would have set of a stomach ulcer that you had three years ago? Or anything else like hunger pains?

Well it seems to have done I’m afraid, unless anyone knows of anything else it could be. It’s a intense gnawing feeling like a very strong hunger pang directly behind breastbone. It goes when I eat something but returns pretty much half an hour later no matter what size meal I’ve eaten.

Could it be wind?

just don't take any more aspirin

and avoid caffeine/meat/fizzy/fat - eat veg - esp Fennel, .

Would take something like Gaviscon as a first defence, not Lanzoprazole.

No one can tell you it is safe to take out of date medication as they do not know how it has been stored. Lanzoprazole at least gets weaker with time, not stronger, so likely to be less effective rather than dangerous.

Oh, and STOP taking stuff like aspirin that clearly says

do not take if you have, or have ever had, an ulcer

which seems quite clear to me...

I had the same problem when taking Ibuprofen regularly after a knee replacement. I don't touch it now.

Not wind sadly. Thank you beyond, trouble is the doctors had said I was clear to take nsaids etc just as long as not for days on end. So when I had an absolute bastard of a headache and that’s all I had, I took it.
I’ve taken one of the PPIs and if I still have another disturbed night I will go to the doctors tomorrow. Just thought I’d try sort it myself since I had the stuff still that they gave me last time I had this issue.

Don’t take aspirin or ibuprofen. DH was told after his stomach ulcer that they were completely out of bounds and to look at them as being allergic to them so to speak.

Could someone go the shops for you and get ranitidine? It's similar to lansoprazole and at least you'll know it'll work.

I don't think taking out of date medication is the best idea.

This might not be true but my memory is telling me that some medications get stronger after there use by date in a bad way

NeedsAsockamnesty - you are very correct!

which is why people should not take out of date medication without medical advice. The OP is "lucky" though, Lanzoprazole is a medication that loses potency over time, becoming less effective.