Very often, expiration dates are labelled on prescription medications. You might wonder if it would be okay to take it after the expiration date or to just discard them, right?
You will learn what to do in this situation before taking something after its expiry date.
Why You Should Pay Attention to Expiry Dates
Expiration dates for medications are normally assigned to OTC medicines, vitamins, prescription medications, and herbal products as well. The expiration dating regulation was put in place to help improve the safety of medication for patients by the FDA.
You should pay attention to the expiry date before taking your medications since the safety of the medication would no longer be guaranteed and would in some cases cause harm to your body.
Although, some individuals believe that it is safe to take expired medications since it would help save them money and the belief that it is still effective.
Just the same as canned food or any type of food that has an expiration date, it is the same for medications since the expiry date was printed on the label for a reason and the FDA would clearly state not to take expired medications as well.
Medications Not to Use If Expired
There are some medications that are known to be harmful after the expiration date and could lead to a person getting illnesses if it is taken. It is always best to get a prescription refill once the medication has gone past its expiration date.
A list of medications you should not use when it is past the expiration is given below,
- Insulin
- Eye Drops
- Oral liquid antibiotics
- Birth control pills
- Nitroglycerin
These types of medications are known to break down easily after the expiration date and are known to be less effective as well. Some can even cause serious health risks and would be harmful.
It is always best to dispose of expired medications and keep them up to date to avoid serious harm from taking medications that are past their expiration. There is no real way to know if the expired medication would be effective but it is better to stay safe and get a new prescription refill or consult a healthcare professional.
In conclusion, taking expired medications will cause harm to your body and lead you to become sicker so it is best to not use medicines after the expiration date. You should store your medications and label them properly with the correct information.