Expiration Dates On Medicines Questioned

[The Straight Story]

Expiration Dates On Medicines Questioned


ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Central Florida pharmacist said expiration dates put on medicines are deceiving, costing consumers hundreds of dollars every year for pills that are perfectly safe, according to a Local 6 News report.

And while the dosages are lab tested and approved, the expiration dates may be deceptive, according to Pharmacist Jerry Murphy.


"They're not lying. They're just not providing the truth," Murphy said.

During several humanitarian trips to Guatemala, Murphy and his wife helped distribute medicines. The medicine distributed by the clinics was six months to a year past the expiration dates -- and yet, still effective, the report said.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report 90 percent of the Defense Department's stockpiled medicines were safe and effective far past their original expiration dates. The tests were conducted by the Food and Drug Administration.

http://www.local6.com/health/10392597/detail.html

[Horse with no Name]

1. I have a friend who works in the pharmaceutical industry

and they told me that most pills (save for certain antibiotics) are good for upwards of 10 years past the expiration date.
It is all a scam.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Under optimal conditions.

Unfortunately, the bathroom medicine cabinet is about the WORST place you could think of to store medication.

[napi21]

4. What are optimal conditions?

I'm not trying to argue with you, justtrying to find out what those conditions are. Arewe talking refrigeration, or some other controlled environment?

[Liberal Veteran]

6. For most meds, a dry dark cool place.

Not cold. Just cool. And bathrooms tend to be extremely humid.

A lot of studies have shown that most meds are good beyond their expiration dates, but those studies tended to look more at unopened original containers than, say, the brown bottle that sits in the cabinet for a couple a couple of years that your pharmacist dispensed it in.

I certainly don't toss my aspirin bottle out when it expires.

[Psephos]

3. Blame lawyers for this

If someone has a serious medical problem, the old meds will be a natural lawsuit target.

Peace.

[ellenfl]

5. the food industry has done the same thing.

since when has mayonnaise had an expiration date? it did not have one when i was a kid but they want you to buy more of it so they put a date on it . . . and sell it in too large containers or charge more for the very small containers.

it's all a scam.

ellen fl

[Warpy]

7. Pharmacies have been weasling that for years

They put an expiration date on the bottle exactly one year after the prescription is filled. Some medications are quite stable for 3-5 years; others degrade quite quickly and lose their potency. Because the pharmacies don't give us a clue to the real expiration date, we have no way of knowing whether a 6 year pill has been sitting on the shelf for 5 1/2 months or 5 1/2 years.

It's always chapped my butt no end that they get away with this shit.

[Liberal Veteran]

9. That probably has more to do with the fact that an RX is only legal for 1 year

A prescription is only valid for a year. After that, you have to get a new rx from your prescriber.

[williesgirl]

8. One more thing to add to Dem's list when they go after them. recommended

[SheilaT]

10. I also thought I'd read

that some medications become ineffective at least as early as the expiration date.

Perhaps at least some of the problem here is that some medications last longer under "optimal" conditions, meaning conditions which are not the real life ones we all have. And some become ineffective, or (worse yet) become harmful at some point.

I myself never have unexpired prescription medications hanging around. What rare prescriptions I take are the ones you're supposed to finish up in the first place. And OTC stuff either gets consumed or I have no problem with disposing if there's an expiration date. The two bucks or less I have to invest in generic aspirin isn't a problem if I really am throwing away perfectly good pills.