How long is expired medicine good for

This can make using them more dangerous. This means that someone taking a less potent, expired sleeping pill may take additional pills to help them fall asleep, inadvertently consuming too large a dose.

To be safe, replace sleeping pills soon after they expire. If you have expired antihistamines hanging around in your medicine cabinet, they're probably still effective.

Most drug companies test for effectiveness only for the first two to three years after opening, which is why labels rarely list a later expiration date.

Because diazepam, which is sold under names including Valium, is a prescription drug, there are additional guidelines for its expiration date. Because probiotics are alive, they can become far less effective over time or if they're improperly stored. It's best to them discard based on the manufacturer's guideline, which is usually one year," Langdon said.

To keep your probiotics fresh and effective, store them in a cool place away from sunlight. Some probiotics should be kept in the refrigerator.

As prescription drugs, Adderall and Mydayis should be used according to your physician's instructions and consumed within one year. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation.

Sophia Mitrokostas. The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics. October 8, ;44 Brought to you by. Who Should Report an Error? Last modified on Tuesday, 04 March This website does not host any form of advertisements. Ultimately, though, it comes down to the fact that testing the longevity of a drug for decades is costly, and drug manufacturers have no financial incentive to do so.

As a result, manufacturers are permitted to choose an arbitrary time frame in which to test and establish a drug's expiration date — whether that be one year or five. This often means that the true shelf life of a particular drug is often never determined. However, there are some medications known to be less stable over time, and these medications should not be taken beyond the expiration date.

These medications include:. Despite the fact that some medications may be effective beyond their expiration dates, studies also conclude that the true shelf life of a medication varies by the:. Determining whether an expired medication is still stable requires laboratory-based chemical analyses, which means you can't know how long that expired cold medicine sitting in your medicine cabinet at home will actually be effective.

That being said, some argue that the details matter when it comes to considering expired medications. The rationale being that occasionally turning to expired medications for inconvenient, uncomfortable symptoms carries less risk than relying on expired medication for a serious health condition you may have.

For instance, taking an expired antihistamine to fight a bout of seasonal allergies or a pain reliever to relieve a headache may be harmless, with the worst case scenario being that the medicine just doesn't help you feel better.

On the other hand, relying on expired heart medication could lead to a dangerous and even life-threatening heart problem or complication. In this case, you should never take expired medication and call your doctor immediately when a refill is needed.