hi, wondering if anyone could advice me what to do. Back on the 19th April I was given 2 dry powder beclometasone inhalers. I started using the 1st with serevent but it wasn't helping so went on to symbicort. Things seem to settle a bit so decided to try the beclometasone and serevent again (dr told me to do that). Just finished the old inhaler last night, so started the 2nd this morning. They come in a kind of foil pouch, i was just about to throw the pouch away when i noticed it said 'exp: 05/2006', checked the box and it said the same, so should i stop using it at the end of Wednesday (31/5)? Or will it be okay to continue using it til I see dr on june 6th? Most inhalers i've had have never had such a short expiration date :o/
Christine
(aka 1 confused moose!)
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Moose1
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Sometimes there are supply problems and meds come from other EU countries with weird labelling but basic expiry dates should always be clear and you should never accept anything with less than 6 months life left on.
I do often check how long since the drug was manufactured as well. Got a bit of a thing about drugs that have been hanging around a long time before being dispensed too!
Was recently given 2 epipens with 5 months life left. Sad fact that I accepted them cos they don't hang around very long with me.
~Do check it out, Moose!
It's not like your inhaler has a precise safe distruction timer in it meaning it will suddenly stop being effective one minute past midnight on 31st of May. It is much better to carry on with it even if it has just expired then stop suddenly. Carry on with it until your visit on 6th and don't worry about it to much.
Anna, I do rather like your idea of self combusting inhalers at midnight, or maybe it could be that they cease to be inhalers, and turn into pumpkins!
Thanks for the witty comment, chuckles are always needed here in asthma land
Hi Moose1
I had a similar experience with a sybicort inhaler. I got abit confused at first as for some reason our pharmacist only had the spanish version and they forgot to put the english lable on for me, but once I'd overcome that, I noticed that it expired in March 06, yes it was April 06! Typically, it was a saturday night when I noticed, so I had to use it sat pn, sunday all day and then monday am, but when I took it back to the pharmacy, they did exchange it even though I had to use it.
Thanks everyone. I thought I might ring the pharmacy in the morning (it's in the supermarket that i work in lol) and speak hopefully speak to the pharmatist that i know is also asthmatic (she seems to tell me everytime i see her what drugs she is now on lol), might ask some advice also about whether to switch back to the symbicort as i seem to be going down hill again on the beclometasone but i have only been back on it a couple of days but i got awful cramp with symbicort.
All the inhalers I've had in the past have had a good year on them before they expire so perhaps this was just an over view?
Will see what happens!
Christine
p.s. loved the comment about self exploding inhalers too, made me chuckle too.
PS Inhalers do explode ...... when you put an MDI in the clothes dryer in a pocket as a friend discovered! Ventobooom! LOL!
Can they seriously explode in the drier? A number of my inhalers had a ride in the washing machine so it is only a matter of time until one will end up in the dryer. I somehow think that halls administration is not going to be impresed if I demolish the dryer that way lol.
I think they go bang but I don't think it would damage the drier as they are quite a small aerosol and University driers are usually industrial strenght! Not sure what they would do to your clothes though!
(My niece put her teddy, the one I gave her with the jumper I knitted, in the washer and Mummy didn't notice and he now has a shrink wrapped jumper! LOL Poor Barney Bear! )
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