Drug Expiration Dates
I’m pretty good at being prepared. Evidence of that is the collection of expired drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, I’ve thrown away over the years. In the case of Rx throw-aways, it’s mostly a result of my aversion to taking prescription drugs. For over the counter stuff, it’s almost always because I’d purchased more than I’d ever use by the expiration date. Case in point, this nearly full container of Tylenol. I have no idea when I bought it but almost certainly from Costco where it’s so very easy to buy more than you really need. Not that I don’t love Costco. I do.
Since lightening my load is never far from my mind these days, I had this container in my hand and over the trash this morning, when I decided just for fun to check the interweb on expired drugs. Turns out, in an FDA study first published in 2003, the verdict was very clear: don’t throw your drugs away. Not for at least 10-15 year after the expiration date.
If you want to know more, here’s the article I read from Harvard Health Publishing at Harvard Medical School.
No, I don’t believe everything I read on the internet. I do challenge nearly everything I read there. An article like this is among the 1% I don’t question.
One Response to “Drug Expiration Dates”
Good to know. Thank you!
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