Expired Medications - Friend or Foe?
July 31, 2006
Portland Press Herald

Nearly half of Americans have used expired drugs, but the safety of this practice is a concern.  Because of increased health care costs and fixed incomes, some groups such as seniors are taking this risk to save money.  Drug experts admit that drugs do last past the expiration date but that the exact timing is unclear, and the risk may be related to the type of drug in question.  Either way, pharmacists and toxicologists caution people to be conservative in these estimates.  One major consideration for taking drugs that are nearing their due date is whether the medications are optimally stored away from heat, light, and moisture which can degrade drugs.  Some pharmacists disagree with the practice of taking outdated drugs and will assist the patient in disposing of the drugs.  Other medical professionals insist that expired drugs are at greater risk of losing potency than causing harm and that expiration dates from drug makers are too conservative.  In fact, some pharmacists instruct the patient to discard the medication a year from when the medication is dispensed, even if the manufacturer has set a later date.  In contrast, some states have dropped the requirement that pharmacists use discard-after dates on prescription labels.  Certain drugs are well known for decreased effectiveness over time: nitroglycerin for chest pain, epinephrine found in the Epi-Pen which is a self-injectable device for allergies.  Most pharmacists agree that patients with high-risk health conditions such as asthma and heart disease should not risk taking expired drugs.