I have a prescription of unopened 1mg gastro-resistant Prednisolone tablets.
They've been kept in a cool, dry place but the expiry date is Oct 23.
There seems to be mixed opinions from my research online as to whether you can continue to use Prednisolone after the expiry date, and for how long after too.
I would appreciate any thoughts regarding the following please:
- Can you take Prednisolone tablets after expiry date?
If so:
- How long after the expiry date are they okay to continue using?
Thankyou
Written by
Kendrew
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There are related posts, but I think general consensus of opinion is use common sense, if they are only just out of date or even a few months they’ll be okay… but much longer than that and it probably isn’t.
Not that they would do you any harm as such, but that they might not be as effective as they should be.
But one pack of tabs, even GR isn’t that expensive, so don’t feel guilty about throwing them away…that’s what the pharmacy would do if you returned them.
I think they’re fine for a good few months. The pharmacist told me he couldn’t comment but went on to say , with a wink , they’re sending out of date medication to the Ukraine . Plus our military use outdated meds such as antibiotics.
I know that Dr Ben Oldacre in Bad Science said that the majority of drugs will last a lot longer than their sell by date provided they are kept in a dark, cool area. He did say there were a few that you should not take, but they tended to be ones which were in liquid firm and needed to be kept in fridges.
Hi Ken drew. When I first experienced PMR symptoms , the GP wouldn't prescribe pred as my blood results were within normal range. In desperation I took 10mg of pred that had been prescribed for a 2 Yr old and were 4 yrs out of date!!! That night I could move without pain or stiffness for the first time in weeks. So I'd say 'yes' - out of date pills still work 😀
I was recently given some with the Oct expiry date. It may be that after a time when supplies were low, new orders were over the top. I worry slightly that when you are on lower doses, the impact of less oomph may be more noticeable but at least we have got them!
The expiry date tells you how long the manufacturer has stability data for and how long they can guarantee that the content is still safe and efficacious. All drugs degrade over time, which means they may become less effective and in a few drugs, the breakdown products can be toxic. And has been mentioned, liquid products may no longer be microbiologically safe. However, many drugs are fine for long after the expiry date and if the stability studies are still ongoing, it is not unknown for the shelf life to become extended from 3 years to 5 years, for example, during the life of the product. I would have no qualms about using your pred that expires in Oct 23, but if it were me, I would use that pack first before opening a new pack.
Thankyou...yes, I'm using the pack in question. By doing this I can maintain some spare tabs for 'emergencies' as my other bottles have a 2025 expiry date.
Off topic a bit….. I get two different creams for different things on repeat script. One gets used over a very wide area and the other over a tiny tiny area and one tube lasts a year and usually expires before being used up (I continue to use it). Anyway despite the different application of each both tubes are prescribed the same size which makes me laugh as one tube hardly lasts a week and the other expires! I’ve told them but to no avail and luckily I can buy one from the pharmacy however it’s very expensive
I was told by Pharmacy that expiration dates are always end of the month given. Hence 31st October. However I would personally use them for a few weeks past that date happily.
If I remember rightly - the last time there was a shortage of 1mg enteric coated pred, when the new batch came out it had an expiry of October 2023. They are obviously clearing stocks. These batches are only made when required as the demand is fairly low - hopefully they are in the process of setting up a run!
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