levothyroxine expiry date

[Lizf1006]

Hi,

This may be a daft question but I hate waste.

I have a couple of unopened boxes of levothyroxine 6 months out of date and wondered if I can still use them?

Many thanks for any comments.

Liz

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I discuss this issue in my vade mecum document.

Be careful and aware!

helvella - Vade Mecum for Thyroid

The term vade mecum means:

1. A referential book such as a handbook or manual.

2. A useful object, constantly carried on one’s person.

Please don't get put off by the number of pages!

Nor by the fact it is targeted at people interested in thyroid issues. Much of its contents could be of use to many involved in health issues. Things like abbreviations, lists, general reference information, an Appendix of links to many useful websites.

And do keep up to date. I edit it frequently- sometimes trivially, sometimes extensively. If your copy is more than a few weeks old, please download it again. (You must download - not just view in a browser- for the Table of Contents to work.)

In particular, it is not intended that you sit and read the document. Just that you download it and know you can look things up.

If there is anything you'd like me to add, let me know.

From Dropbox:

dropbox.com/s/vp5ct1cwc03bl...

From Google Drive:

drive.google.com/file/d/1P9...

Expiry date calculations

[Lizf1006 in reply to helvella]

Thank you, this is very helpful! 🙂

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Lizf1006]

And it is just a theoretical illustration - I repeat!

[Lizf1006 in reply to helvella]

So is this your theory? 🙂

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Lizf1006]

It is pure arithmetic.

The rate of deterioration might not be an exact % each month. The storage conditions might, probably will, vary (summer to winter, for example), etc.

It is trying to say that if they are OK at expiry date, they're not going to suddenly drop by 50% a month later! It is a slow, mostly fairly steady, drop in potency.

[Lizf1006 in reply to helvella]

Yes, I understand. Thank you 🙂