Are expired drugs dangerous?
Q I’ve often wondered about the expiration date on prescription drugs. Is it unsafe to take them after they expire? A Expired drugs are almost never directly toxic, although they can lose their potency. Many drugs, especially pills, last much longer than the expiration date on the bottle. Drug manufacturers put expiration dates on drugs to indicate their shelf life, defined as how long the product, when stored under satisfactory conditions, is guaranteed to remain stable and retain at least 90% of its potency. The expiration date is usually 23 years after it’s manufactured. This doesn’t mean that the drug will degrade after that time, only that the company no longer guarantees its potency. When a pharmacist opens a manufacturer’s container to fill…
