Safe to take expired perscription drugs?

[Cdilly93]

Im sorry for posting here, it wasn't letting me in the "other drugs" section for some reason, so feel free to move ... Anyways, So i was going through my medicine cabnet out of curiosity, i found 10 year old Ritalin (cap was no longer on it, if that makes a difference) and then 5 year old oxycodone/acetaminophen.. Could these potentially be toxic or give a different reaction to the body? Less potent? Or possibly not changed at all? Thanks!

 

[neurotic]

ime they could be less potent, may be not changed at all. i had once some expired morphine pills and they were definitely less potent than expected. just take normal doses, if they're less potent you'll notice.

 

[JWills20]

Moving to OD.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Pills don't really go bad. Chances are they are exactly the same as when they were new. Other medications, like certain antibiotics, solution based preparations, etc, have a specific shorter shelf life where they can go bad, but for pain killers and the like, they are basically like Twinkies.. good forever. Ha.

 

[twerk]

from ive heard they just get a bit weaker im guessing if they were in a dark area sealed container not much baceria would be on them

 

[Captain Brewster]

They won't be toxic, maybe the strength has dropped slightly.

One thing I know, they ain't worth throwing out.

 

[tricomb]

I've taken methylphenidate that was like 40 years old military issued go-pills, the prescription bottle was pyrex, it was so cool. Not the methylphenidate, as usual that was an uncomfortable why would I bother taking this type deal.

5 year old oxycodone/acetaminophen would be fine for oral or rectal use so long as they haven't been damaged or exposed to air, UV/light, humidity****(one of the most vital aspects in terms of whether they're 'safe' to be taken.), as is written on the Rx bottle itself.

I'm not saying it's safe or something I condone but in my past I used thousands of narcotics that were stored properly 5-10 years after their expiration date and I never noticed any drop in potency when taking brand new "identical" brand of modern equivalent tablets, they felt exactly the same.

 

[Rybee]

I've had a bit of a read up on this a few times and can never get my head around it... take a 50mg Tramadol tablet for example.

I see that as a physical chemical compound. Not organic, not alive, not changing.

It has a particular chemical formula that wont have a chemical reaction on its own...

So why would it lose potency? Something like eyedrops or creams, I can understand, but chemical tablets... why?

 

[tricomb]

Well if they are exposed to moisture (which most opioids are extremely soluble in, which can like, draw the active ingredient out of the tablet, and ruin the tablet itself as well as present a breeding ground for bacteria or molds, as can exposure to a non-sealed, light proof environment.

Extreme heat (attic, vehicles) or cold places can also cause deterioration of the desired ingredients, but I would be way more concerned about hot places over cold ones.

Also out of all the factors that would make them lose potency, I'd say in order of how much they can affect potency loss would go like this:
1) Exposure to moisture
2) Exposure to UV / light spectrum
3) Exposure to heat
4) All of these are a result of whether they are stored in the proper containers, and where these proper containers were stored.

 

[sekio]

Assuming you haven't stored it inside your oven for a year, or on the roof of your house, or buried four feet under a lake bed, or anything like that, they'll be fine.

Pills are generally designed to keep a long long time if they don't get wet. Often the expiry date is not when the drug goes bad but when you can no longer rely on the packaging to stand up.

It is unlikely they would lose potency if stored properly.

 

[jackie jones]

solution based preparations, etc, have a specific shorter shelf life where they can go bad

I drank a bottle of codeine that expired in 1986 a couple years ago. I was fine. God damned dopesickness will make you act like a crazy person.

 

[abracadabra girl]

^Was it still liquid? I have a bottle in my fridge only 3-4 years old that has chunks in it. I'm kind of afraid to try it. But maybe the chunks are the codeine ... who knows.