Pred expiry date

[Jean56]

For those of us in GB. Watch out for the dates of expiry on the packets. I’ve just collected my latest prescription and found the 5mg expires September 2019. I have a couple of ‘spare’ packets they are dated October 2020. Not sure why ‘old’ stock is surfacing.

[Hidden]

Hi Jean

This happened to me last year & the Chemist brought it to my attention, saying l might have ones ‘In Stock’ with a longer Expiry Date!

I think maybe some of the Suppliers have been having a sort out? But it is a good time to Remind Everyone to check their Expiry Dates & put them in order.

I did check with our local Pharmacist & he said NOT to take Out of Date Pred!

Thanks For letting Us Know.

MrsN 🌷

[Yellowbluebell in reply to Hidden]

You were ill because of your pred being out of date weren't you? Plus someo e else as well?!! Definitely take care.

[Hidden in reply to Yellowbluebell]

No, it was because l think l may have had a ‘dodgy’ pack!

[Yellowbluebell in reply to Hidden]

I knew there was something connected to pred!!

[piglette]

I have this happen to me quite often over the years. I will have some Sept 2019 then some for 2021. I did have some one time that would have gone over their sell by date by the time that I had got through them. I always check now just in case.

[Jean56 in reply to piglette]

Very wise. I hesitate to say this but I was wondering if it had something to do with something that may, or may not happen, in this country, at the end of October. I’m don’t mention the actually word......

[jinasc in reply to Jean56]

You are not wrong, my Pharmacist is going daft as they keep on running out of items and some supplies are being delayed now.

[piglette in reply to jinasc]

I want to know why my pred is now taking up to a week to arrive. I am very suspicious. I think Jean is probably right about the culprit.

[jinasc in reply to piglette]

I would not take any bet that she is wrong. Oops off piste again.

[Yellowbluebell in reply to jinasc]

Totally NOT off piste! How we are affected is a perfect topic even if it's to do with "you know what"

[Oxford8 in reply to Yellowbluebell]

'Piste off' too! 😏

[Hidden in reply to Jean56]

😉

[HamishPMR in reply to Jean56]

RUBBISH! Nothing to do with Brexit, just shoddy stock keeping

[SheffieldJane]

I know! That concerns me, as I keep flare supplies. My pharmacy doesn’t understand my normal prescription, let alone that. I hope this was a fluke.

[HeronNS]

Where I live the pills are decanted into another container and I have no idea what the sell by date is. However I believe there is at least several months leeway between the "expiry" date and the date where the pills are truly not usable.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to HeronNS]

The only time I have had a problem was with pred decanted from a big container - and when I queried it the pharmacist had no idea what the expiry date had been. Give me a blister pack any day.

[HeronNS]

consumermedsafety.org/safe-...

[GOOD_GRIEF]

Believe it or not, Halloween is fast approaching, folks. Stock extra supplies of everything starting now.

[whitefishbay]

Shall we blame it on Brexit? Didn’t they try to scare us that medicines would run out..

[Jean56 in reply to whitefishbay]

Who knows. Looking back to the start of the millennium all the planes were going to fall from the sky. It’s playing with peoples lives, scaremongering. We just have to try and keep a sense of proportion.... and keep taking the tablets!

[HeronNS in reply to whitefishbay]

You don't need Brexit. In Canada there are apparently hundreds of shortages every year already. Moreover it may get a lot worse as the 300+ million Americans have just been told by their wannabe emperor they are now allowed to import pharmaceuticals from Canada (with 1/10 th the population). As our drugs are cheaper this is a real concern.

[HamishPMR]

As a (retired) pharmacist I would say there is no excuse for short dated prednisolone other than shoddy stock keeping.

[Jean56 in reply to HamishPMR]

Yes, very likely. My pharmacy is a very small and very busy establishment owned by one of the large companies, not Boots. They haven’t the room to carry very much stock so l presume it’s the supplier.

[Longtimer in reply to HamishPMR]

Silly question maybe...but if they were a couple of months out, would it be detrimental to us in any way?......

[HamishPMR in reply to Longtimer]

Not really, the drug manufacturers play it safe

[Longtimer in reply to HamishPMR]

Thank you...that,s reassuring....

[Lonsdalelass in reply to Longtimer]

Sure is! I have recently used up some 2.5's with last months expiry date on! I've been OK though thankfully.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Longtimer]

And they really don't suddenly self-destruct when it gets to the date!

[Longtimer in reply to PMRpro]

I am guilty of taking out of date pre d without realising it until the forum discussed some time back, I thought they would have been well within the date I took them....but no.......so ditched them when new ones were prescibed...

[marigolds]

As I am down to 1.5mg I am thinking of cutting my 5mg into 4 to go down to1.25mg to use them up. What do you think?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to marigolds]

Fair enough - and it is isn't perfect it doesn't matter, it is still less ...

[HamishPMR in reply to marigolds]

No, get some Prednisolone 1mg and half them, much more accurate.

[marigolds in reply to HamishPMR]

Will do. Thanks

[whitefishbay]

How do you cut it into 4s? Mine crumbled at trying to cut in half. I threw the crappy pill cutter away (useless) and use a sharp knife but still.....

[KellyInTexas in reply to whitefishbay]

Use a brand new straight edged razor blade a making sure to apply equal and steady pressure firmly down. ( don’t let it wobble to one direction or the other for your safety’s Sake.)

I find this far more effective than a pill cutter and not crumbling the tablets.

[whitefishbay in reply to KellyInTexas]

Thanks for the tip.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It does happen every so often when a supplier realises there is a load left over. It doesn't usually matter to the patient - they get them for short courses to be taken immediately.

[Floridafan]

Recently my pharmacist owed me 13 x 5mg pills but was able to give me 17 at the time when I took in my prescription. I’ve just opened the box with the 17 pills in them and there’s 7 separate blister packs made up of 4 x 3 pills, 2 x 2 pills and 1 pill on it’s own! And not one of them has the expiry date on them, some are not even from the same manufacturer. So I’m using these up first in the hope that they are all ok! 😱

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Floridafan]

Is that in the UK? Doctors prescribe by numbers of pills, which don't match the numbers in the packs, so the pharmacists cut the excess off - heaven forefend you got a couple of pills extra!! Here we only ever get a multiple of whole packs.

I would express my ire at that - for us it matters that you know the expiry date as we mix stuff over months,

[Floridafan in reply to PMRpro]

Yes, I’m in the UK. I think I’ll be ok with them as I’m using these first 😀