Expired antibiotics- ok to use at a push?

[StopMakingAppointments]

I am pretty certain I have tonsillitis - big white spots of pus on my tonsils and have been feeling worse since Friday.

I used to get it fairly regularly and once before a holiday a GP gave me a prescription to take with me in case symptoms worsened. I got the tablets but didn't take them so now I have a course of phenoxymethylpenicillin in my cupboard. Expiry date 06/2020.

The earliest appointment I've been able to get is a telephone appointment on Wednesday. I'll try calling again in the morning but if I can't be seen would you take these tablets? I really want to as don't want to wait.

Also - can GPS prescribe antibiotics over a phone call?

I wouldn’t. I used to get tonsillitis often, and stopped taking antibiotics as it always improved in 3-4 days. Since then I’ve had tonsillitis a lot less

My husband is a Pharmacist and wont let me take any medication if it's even a day over it's expiry.

Yours are over 2 years!!!

They could be unsafe and are probably not effective now anyway.

2 months, maybe. 2 years absolutely not.

NICE guidelines have changed for tonsillitis as the evidence now suggests antibiotics only shortened it by a day or so. DH had it in the summer and it cleared up on its own in a few days. In the old days he'd have been given antibiotics but I think it's a good thing we don't so freely anymore.

I'm amazed any pharmacist would say even a day out of date is unuseable. Of course a professional would have to say that to patients for legal reasons but he is being very over-zealous if following that at home as it is widely known that most medicines are fine for considerable times after the expiry date
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7040264/

Surely they'd be less effective over time rather than unsafe (tablets 💊- liquids would probably be more unstable?) you should however see ooh or a gp to prescribe if you need them. Our gp and nurse practitioner will prescribe over the phone, could you get a nurse appt instead?

Most medicines are ok some time out of date, eg painkillers. At worst they taste tinny or ar less effective. But some antibiotics (oxytetracycline for acne being a case) are actually poisonous when far out of date, so I'd check in your case.

He's overprotective @QueenOfHiraeth

He'll take them himself if they're over date but won't let me.