Expiry date

[lifegems]

I have a number of b12 ampules and unfortunately they expire end of this month.. is it safe to use past the expired date ? Will they still be effective? I can’t believe they just expire .. thanks all

[wedgewood]

I’m sure that they are fine to use if you have kept them correctly i.e. in the dark and under 25c . Of course they may diminish in effectiveness , put usually the pharmaceutical companies build in an extra length of time for safe and effective use , You may find that you need to inject more often than normal .

[lifegems in reply to wedgewood]

Ok thanks 😊

[Nackapan]

They could be okay for about a month.I personally wouldn't use them unless desperate .

I just wouldn't like the uncertainty .

A nurse wouldnt use them either.

[lifegems in reply to Nackapan]

Ok thanks 😊

[deniseinmilden]

It is important that we do not advise you to do anything beyond recommended guidelines.

However... I have bought plenty of ampoules to avoid the hassles of Brexit for as long as possible and some of those will have gone out of date by the time I use them. I have planned it this way knowing that they will be safe for many months, if not years, beyond their expiry dates.

I do make sure that I keep them in the dark though. I have never had any ill effects from ampoules that I have used up that have been in my car, so have definitely got too warm, but I wouldn't even want to risk trying any that had been exposed to light for long.

I have used up ampoules beyond their dates before with no noticeable difference.

[lifegems in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thanks .. I can only see the efficacy deteriorating as opposed to anything toxic happening to the b12

[deniseinmilden in reply to lifegems]

Exactly! Especially if it is protected from UV light.

[Midnight_Voice]

I know a little about ‘potency’, as it is known in the trade, from working for a couple of cosmetics companies in the past.

It was an absolute no-no for any ingredient to break down into anything harmful, even just in face cream, so for medical products even more so. But they can, over time, lose their efficacy; and some of the code I wrote knew to increase the amount of certain ingredients in the formulations, dependent on their initial manufacturing date.

So, as per the above reassurance, it’s quite safe to use ampoules after their expiry date; but maybe expect to need more frequent top-ups as they drop to 90%, maybe 80%, of their original potency.

[lifegems in reply to Midnight_Voice]

That makes total sense to me .. thank you

[mcg-woo]

I had the same question because I had some expiring hydroxo vials and didn’t want to throw them out. A CVS pharmacist advised me not to use an injectable past the expiration date. She said although other medications, such as tablets are okay to use a little past expiration dates, injectables are different and advised me not to use, so I discarded them.

[lifegems in reply to mcg-woo]

Ah ok .. did she say why ?

[mcg-woo in reply to lifegems]

No, she just said that she could not advise using an injectable beyond its expiration date.

[lifegems in reply to mcg-woo]

Well I guess she would .. thanks for reply