Prescription Question - General Health Message Board

MelBelle · 04-22-2006, 02:14 PM

Hi, is it safe to take a prescribed medication after the discard date???

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies!

Sharon76 · 04-22-2006, 04:21 PM

Hi Melbelle

No medicine should be taken after it has passed the discard date.

This is because it can cause bad reactions or the medicine doesn't work as well as it should.

scoot · 04-22-2006, 05:12 PM

it shouldn't be, to be on the safe side, but some people do take meds beyond expiration date. some medical professionals might say its okay behind the scenes but probably wouldnt advise it due to liability.

i'm sure it depends on the medication too. you might want to check with a pharmacist.

ladybug8372 · 04-22-2006, 08:27 PM

ok, having worked in a pharmacy before....i will give everyone one piece of advice. the pharmacist may not like it....but i see no reason why it cant be done. when a pharmacist fills your prescription......the original bottle that the medication comes out of, has an expiration date on it.....it could be this year, could be 2 years from now......could be 3 years from now before they expire........BUT.......on your prescription bottle....it has to discard ONE YEAR after the date that it was filled.........meaning LOTS of us have thrown away medication that was still effective and no where near running out of date.....but we just dont know WHEN they will run out. so, you really should ask/insist to the pharmacist to write on the rx bag or something, the date in which your pills truly run out of date. since i became aware of this.....i, personally, keep my prescriptions for at least 1 year longer than the discarded date. sometimes 2 years.....but then i throw them out.....(i just cant seem to remember to have the pharmacist tell me the true expiration date!!!)

tina76 · 04-24-2006, 12:25 PM

I was told by my pharmacist that the date on the pill bottle does not necessarily mean that the actual PILLS are expired...jsut the prescription. The other thing he told me is that the main problem with pills that ARE expired is taht they may not be as effective as they would be newer and at full strength. So they can't make you sick on their own or anything but might not work as effectively as they would if they were not expired.