Hey everyone, yes this is a serious question and I already likely know the answer, but on the premise of no such thing as a stupid question, here goes:
I have a lot of expired T4 and T3, any time my medication was changed in the past I just put what was left over into a cool dark drawer. The oldest ones expired in 2018 and the more recent ones expired at the start of 2020...
Now is it pointless for me to keep holding on to this medication? I figured that in case of some sort of emergency at least I’d have some meds, but could taking expired meds do more damage than good?
Also is there a preferred way to dispose of them?
Written by
dang
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Thanks! it never occurred to me that I can bring them back to the pharmacy. That’s a good call.
Not sure if you would know this, but I assume they would just be less effective if expired, but not necessarily dangerous to take? (Assuming I take a standard dose)
They wouldn't be dangerous to take, no. They might be slightly less effective, but most medictions keep their potancy for a long time after the expiration date. In the past, I've taken T3 two years after the date and it was fine.
Yea luckily so far I haven’t had that experience, but one thing about your life being dependant on a little pill you take every morning is that there is always that stress: what if I run out? So even just for the stress relief I like to have some sort of backup stock
Really? Hehe this is all news to me (good news) the meds I get (prothyrid and thybon) are always within a year of expiry, even if they were recently produced they “expire” so fast I always thought it was a finicky compound. I wonder if it’s just regulation that they have to put short expiry dates on these type of meds
"if you decide to take the medication, will it be a fatal mistake or will you simply continue to suffer from the headache? And how long is a prescription good for?
This is a dilemma many people face in some way or another. A column published in Psychopharmacology Today offers some advice.
It turns out that the expiration date on a drug does stand for something, but probably not what you think it does. Since a law was passed in 1979, drug manufacturers are required to stamp an expiration date on their products. This is the date at which the manufacturer can still guarantee the full potency and safety of the drug.
Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.