Opinion by Alicia Lutz, former editor at Care magazine®
We all know that drug companies cheat us. We all know that, if a drug’s expiration date is October 13, 2023, there is no way that the drug will be bad for us on October 14, 2023. So why are those expiration dates on the bottles? Read the first sentence again.
Yes, indeedy, expiration dates are just one more way for drug companies to con us into buying more of their products. Sure, eventually a drug’s effectiveness will not be 100 percent of what it once was, but usually the date on a bottle is significantly sooner than the actual time it will go bad. So, then, how much attention should we give these dates impressed into the caps and bottoms of our over-the-counter and prescription drugs? To answer that question, we must understand exactly what the expiration date is.
First of all, the date we see on the package is that which studies found the drug was still stable. That is, the date does not necessarily mean that is will be unstable after that date—just that its manufacturer guarantees that it is at its full potency on that date. It is a marketing ploy more than anything: a way to sell more. Second, the date we see is based on the assumption that the bottle will never be opened. Kind of strange assumption, for something that is sold to be opened. Regardless, this assumption alone renders the date irrelevant to consumers . . . unless you find a sealed, unopened bottle in your cabinet, which goes back to our commonly accepted assumption that drug companies cheat us into buying these drugs we’ll never use in the first place.
With the irrelevance of the expiration date in mind, we will move on to the actual shelf life of the drug. Though expiration dates are usually listed as one to three years after the drug is manufactured, the shelf life is usually much longer: usually about 10-15 years. In fact, some drugs have been reported to remain stable for 30 years! Of course, short of going to medical school and conducting a scientific study, consumers have no way of knowing how long after the purported expiration date their drugs actually will remain stable and potent. At ease: There are almost no reports of toxicity of outdated drugs. Sure, the drug may lose between 5 to 50 percent of its original potency (and usually much closer to the former), but, in most cases this is much further down the road than we think.
One caution: Liquid medicines tend to go bad more quickly than others. If there is separation or a kind of cloudiness about the medicine, don’t use it. Another caution: If your life depends on an expired drug, you should get a refill. If, however, you are suffering from allergies, a headache, cramps, or the likes, don’t sweat it: You’re safe.
The bottom line is, don’t let the big drug companies dupe you any more than they already have—keep all those half-full bottles of Tylenol and Claritin with expiration dates long past as long as you wish, as long as you keep in a moisture-free, preferably dark cupboard.
Editorial note: Updated May 8, 2023. This article is a matter of opinion. For legal reasons, you should ask your doctor about your specific drug.
