Expired asthma medications?
A young man suffering from asthma lost his medical insurance and cannot afford a doctor. His medicine expired 2 weeks ago and he is afraid to take it. I forgot what he used to take, but it is prescription and he did not have to take it regularly, only during asthma attacks. Now his asthma bothers him, but he is afraid to take the expired medications because of the risk of death.
I am not a doctor, but I don’t believe that there is such a great risk. His medication was acceptably effective on the day it expired. Should he continue taking it when needed?
Are there any over the counter drugs available?
I am an old drug inspector.
When a drug company puts that expiration date on there, it is based on years of tests to show that the product will not deteriorate under normal storage conditions for that length of time.
So the expiration date is only the date they are sure of. The product would not automatically go bad on the expiration date. It could be good for years after the expiration date, but that depends on the drug.
The problem is that we don’t know how old the drug is in the first place, so we can’t guess how long it has been around already. Some drugs expire at 6 months, and the longest period most drug manufacturers use is five years.
If the drug requires refrigeration, or if there are warnings on the package about not using it after certain storage conditions, I wouldn’t use it more than a few weeks beyond the expiration date. If the drug has been held at the temperature on the label, I would feel comfortable using it for months. If it is a tablet or capsule rather than a liquid, I would add a few months to that.
I would normally not encourage people to use expired drugs, but since this one is newly expired and the alternative is no drug at all, please tell him that an old drug inspector said it was okay.
Posted in asthma medications
July 19th, 2010 at 3:12 am
i live in the uk & no there is no over the counter asthma medication available this young man is at risk of having a severe asthma attack without the medication wuth him getting worked up this will make things worse his tubes are already scarred they will get worse without it is’nt there anyone who could help him with the doctors bill the poor devil will end up in hospital eventually if he does’nt get help & yes he must take what he has until he can see a doctor please make it soon though
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July 19th, 2010 at 3:26 am
He was on a prescription for a reason. If his parents can not afford insurance, and do not qualify for help from the government, then contact a church, Lion’s Club or other community organization for help.
References :
July 19th, 2010 at 3:56 am
http://www.ericksontribune.com/Home/HealthSecrets/tabid/71/newsid410/4978/The-truth-about-medication-expiration-dates/Default.aspx
Please check out this site!
Call your pharmacy to ask about specific medications
Primatene Mist is available over the counter
References :
July 19th, 2010 at 4:21 am
I am an old drug inspector.
When a drug company puts that expiration date on there, it is based on years of tests to show that the product will not deteriorate under normal storage conditions for that length of time.
So the expiration date is only the date they are sure of. The product would not automatically go bad on the expiration date. It could be good for years after the expiration date, but that depends on the drug.
The problem is that we don’t know how old the drug is in the first place, so we can’t guess how long it has been around already. Some drugs expire at 6 months, and the longest period most drug manufacturers use is five years.
If the drug requires refrigeration, or if there are warnings on the package about not using it after certain storage conditions, I wouldn’t use it more than a few weeks beyond the expiration date. If the drug has been held at the temperature on the label, I would feel comfortable using it for months. If it is a tablet or capsule rather than a liquid, I would add a few months to that.
I would normally not encourage people to use expired drugs, but since this one is newly expired and the alternative is no drug at all, please tell him that an old drug inspector said it was okay.
References :
Retired FDA