Doom Metal Alchemist Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 So some time ago, I think it was probably here, someone posted an article that stated that in most cases, taking expired medications is harmless, but in can be harmful with some medications used to treat bipolar disorder. I take a few medications for bipolar/depression, so I am wondering if any of my medications are dangerous to take if expired. Google is not helping much, basically all I'm seeing is "don't take if expired" probably generic warning they put for all meds, without putting specifics of what can happen, or non-experts saying, "they only say don't take expired medications because they want your money, it's probably fine," of course either talking about medications in general, or even if talking about the particular medication I'm looking for info on, these are uninformed "probably"'s. So, with Google not being very helpful, I am asking here, in particular @Still Me and @mthor, are the following meds dangerous to take passed the expiration date: Risperdone 1 mg (generic for Risperdal) Quetiaprine 25 mg x 3 (generic for Seroquel) Paroxetine 30 mg (generic for Paxil) Lamotrigne 150 mg (generic for Lamictal) Any help is much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 Disco and I toss out everything that has expired. Food. Meds. Everything. They have a shelf life for a reason. My mother in the other hand, will take meds that expired a year ago. I wouldn’t think they would harm you if they were newly expired, but I wouldn’t take anything past a month or two of the expiration date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poof Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 I took some 10 year old percs once. Aged to perfection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthor Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Doom Metal Alchemist said: So some time ago, I think it was probably here, someone posted an article that stated that in most cases, taking expired medications is harmless, but in can be harmful with some medications used to treat bipolar disorder. I take a few medications for bipolar/depression, so I am wondering if any of my medications are dangerous to take if expired. Google is not helping much, basically all I'm seeing is "don't take if expired" probably generic warning they put for all meds, without putting specifics of what can happen, or non-experts saying, "they only say don't take expired medications because they want your money, it's probably fine," of course either talking about medications in general, or even if talking about the particular medication I'm looking for info on, these are uninformed "probably"'s. So, with Google not being very helpful, I am asking here, in particular @Still Me and @mthor, are the following meds dangerous to take passed the expiration date: Risperdone 1 mg (generic for Risperdal) Quetiaprine 25 mg x 3 (generic for Seroquel) Paroxetine 30 mg (generic for Paxil) Lamotrigne 150 mg (generic for Lamictal) Any help is much appreciated. According to my shrink, who has no problem with me taking pre-generic Zyprexa, as long as tablets are kept dry, they're fine (I am, of course, assuming that these are not medications that you found in a damp box in the basement as part of an inheritance...) My late father, and two of my brothers (all MD's) concur with him. Usually, if a med has gone bad, you can tell by a change in color, consistency, or odor (eg, aspirin that is no good smells like vinegar.) Edited September 14, 2018 by mthor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Me Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 I think that’s the court of public opinion...I do not think any drug past expiration is something one should ingest.... its most likely ok...but other than govermnent mandates of expirations...the drugs potency can also be a factor...some drugs do lose that as time progresses 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthor Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 1 minute ago, Still Me said: I think that’s the court of public opinion...I do not think any drug past expiration is something one should ingest.... its most likely ok...but other than govermnent mandates of expirations...the drugs potency can also be a factor...some drugs do lose that as time progresses Government mandates are pretty arbitrary, especially in the west. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Me Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 1 minute ago, mthor said: Government mandates are pretty arbitrary, especially in the west. K...like my opinion or don’t... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini_ghost420 Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 I don't take stuff with an expired date. I just figure the people that make the stuff know more about it then I do so I don't mess around. this is just based off my opinion tho not any facts that I know of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inu_crazed_90 Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 From what I know, they won’t be very effective after the expiration date. Might be worth renewing the rx anyway, even if not harmful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthor Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 1 hour ago, Inu_crazed_90 said: From what I know, they won’t be very effective after the expiration date. Might be worth renewing the rx anyway, even if not harmful. The problem is, many prescription labels instructions say to discard the medications one year from the date the prescription was filled. This may or may not have anything to do with the actual date of expiration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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