Can I take expired medications? The expert explains

You often try to relieve the first symptoms of the disease with medicine from your home medicine cabinet. You reach for it, but it turns out the shelf life of a painkiller, cough syrup, or joint ointment has passed. Is it dangerous to take expired medications? When do they become toxic? Where to store them at home and how to dispose of them? Explains Dr. n. Farm. Leszek Borkowski.

1. Each drug, eye drops or immune-boosting syrup has a specific expiration date and information on how long they can be stored after opening
2. The leaflet also provides information on storage methods
3. The expert says bluntly that when it comes to drugs, bending these rules does not make sense. The consequences can be serious
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

What does the expiry date of the drug mean?

The expiry date of the drug determines the final date by which we can safely take it. Until this particular day, it is safe and has 100%. the power of action. The manufacturer places the date on the label on the outer packaging. It is also imprinted on each blister of tablets.

– The expiry date is a formal but also a practical limit. This is the date from which the decomposition of those substances that heal begins in the stability studies of drugs, i.e. active substances or excipients, warns Leszek Borkowski, PhD pharmaceutical, former president of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products.

The rest of the text below the video.

What to pay attention to, apart from the use-by date?

The degradation time of the substances contained in the drug is difficult to determine and depends largely on the method of storing the drugs.

– One person will keep the medication on the windowsill above the radiator and in the sun. The second is in the first aid kit, where there is moisture; and the third in the bedside table, where it is dark and dry – noted the expert.

Therefore, guided by the safety of patients, the principle was adopted that when the breakdown of a drug begins, it is tantamount to the fact that it can no longer be taken. Due to poor storage, drugs may crumble, soften and become cloudy. This is a sign that they need to be thrown out as soon as possible.

– Of course, the drug may change its appearance during the expiration date. He was clear – cloudy. He was white – yellowed. Using professional terminology it can be said that the pharmaceutical form is disturbed. The drug is then absolutely unusable, warns the pharmacist.

How long do drugs work from the moment they are manufactured?

The expiry date does not exactly mean that the drugs lose their healing power on that date. However, the strength of their action is waning. It is not true to claim that they have been in operation for 2-5 years since they were manufactured. The expert explains that there are no such rules at all.

– Some simplifications have been adopted here. I would say yes. Everyone is different and each chemical in the drug is different. Moreover, in addition to the active substance, there are also auxiliary substances in the medicine that can inhibit the decomposition of the active substance. Therefore, there is no rule for how long the drug will retain its potency. I would avoid this time limit, because it may be scientifically untrue, states Dr. Borkowski.

When are the pharmacy and the manufacturer responsible for an expired drug?

If we take an expired drug, we do it at our own risk, because the manufacturer and the pharmacy are not responsible for it. It is different when they sell it after its expiry date.

– From the moment the patient has the drug in his hand, assuming that it was not past the expiry date when he purchased it, he is responsible for taking it himself. If he fell asleep and did not take the drug when needed, suddenly woke up and after some time started taking it or repeats the treatment, he does it at his own risk – explains Dr. Borkowski.

Are overdue medications toxic?

The expert emphasizes that each drug manufacturer examines its preparation in terms of the breakdown of substances contained in them. Tracks how this distribution progresses over time. Some pharmaceutical companies stockpiled drugs that they produced in the 50s for research purposes.

– It is all researched and analyzed. Consuming expired medications is reprehensible. Substances decomposed over time can poison people, warns the pharmacist.

What is the risk of taking an expired drug?

Taking an expired drug has its consequences. The lesser consequence is that it will not work, but it can also be more serious, that is, ailments that are difficult to predict. It all depends on the dose and active substance contained in the drug. According to the expert, the breakdown products of the drug are toxic to the body of patients. Sometimes one small tablet, one mg, is enough to get poisoned.

– The breakdown products of the drug may irritate the gastrointestinal tract. There will be diarrhea, bloody stools, vomiting. This is all that the digestive tract will fund us. And if the toxic substances from the expired drug are absorbed, it may turn out that we have an irritated pancreas, liver, something is happening to the central nervous system (CNS). Even from taking one expired tablet, all these complications can be a threat. There are substances that, even in very trace amounts, have a toxic effect – the expert lists.

Special dangerous drugs after the expiry date

Cardiological drugs, e.g. those taken for hypertension, can be particularly dangerous after the deadline. This group includes diuretics (diuretics). As the pharmacist explains, diuretics are administered to release fluid from the body to reduce the volume of blood.

– We don’t kill our hearts then. Figuratively speaking – the pump has less fluid to be pumped. The laws of physics are most respected in medicine, he points out.

Moreover, biological drugs (e.g. insulin) can be extremely dangerous after the expiry date, i.e. those that are not produced by humans, but e.g. cells of very small organisms. Dr. Borkowski warns against using them absolutely. The same is the case with drugs for multiple sclerosis or antibiotics.

– An overdue antibiotic not only does not heal, but also causes accelerated antibiotic resistance – he adds.

Some medications are also particularly sensitive to environmental bacteria, such as eye drops and antibiotics, although, according to the pharmacist, it is now more about sterility.

– In the case of eye drops, do not touch them with dirty hands. Until recently, drops after opening could be used for several weeks, up to a month. Now there are more and more of those with a longer shelf life after unpacking. Therefore, first of all, it is worth reading the leaflet next to the medicine to check how long my eye medicine is valid after opening – sensitizes the expert.

Under what conditions to store drugs

Each drug has its own storage conditions, which are listed on the leaflet. It is recommended to keep them usually in a dark and dry place. The optimum temperature is also given. For example, Dr Borkowski advises against a bathroom because it is always damp. He prompts you to do an experiment that will show what can happen with a poorly stored drug.

– Just put the aspirin on the window when the radiators are heating or the sun is shining. See what happens after a month. Not only will it change appearance, but it will smell sour when opened. It’s acetic acid, he explains.

How can drugs be disposed of?

Expired drugs should be returned to the pharmacy, which is obliged to accept them. Before that, however, you should get rid of the outer packaging, throw the leaflets into the trash, segregating them properly. You absolutely must not throw away any medicines with your household rubbish. Medicines contain active substances that are harmful to the environment. They can be released into the soil, poison plants and animals. They can also fall into the wrong hands.

– These drugs are burned in special furnaces at very high temperatures. I suggest not to experiment. Take them to the pharmacy or clinic. If this is not possible, the commune must indicate such a place. On the other hand, used syringes, dressings and plasters are packed in a garbage bag and thrown into the general garbage – said the pharmacist.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to ecology. How to be eco and not go crazy? How can we care for our planet on a daily basis? What and how to eat? You will hear about this and many other topics related to ecology in the new episode of our podcast.