The Medical Implication Of Taking Expired Drugs

Expired Drug

Sometimes, we may wake up in the middle of the night to take some pills to curb that sudden pain.
 Imagine finding out the drug has just exceeded its expiration date. At the dead of the night, you are left with two choices: take it and face the risk or suffer the pains until you get another one in the morning.

Well, Nigerians are very good at buying a drug and then stocking the leftovers in the house. This happens most of the time because hardly do they finish their therapy when symptoms have gone. The rest, which may sometimes be prescription only medicines (P.O.M), will be kept in case of emergency. The storage condition may be poor and not be according to the guidelines set by the manufacturer. What does such action leave us with? Let us see.

The expiration date on a drug product is the date a manufacturer can guarantee that the product is safe and potent based on scientifically sound product testing. The expiration date on drugs is there due to controlled experiments by manufacturing companies. The test called 'accelerated stability testing' is a situation whereby a drug is subjected to a wide range of conditions that are similar to environmental conditions using machines. This is useful in detecting how long a drug can retain at least up to 90 % of its potency. This method is far quicker and cheaper than the traditional method. 

The traditional method involves keeping the drug of various batches in a storage container, testing each batch at a different time for potency. Let us say, each batch contains 10 drugs each with 10 batches. Each batch is stored in different conditions that are common during normal use. A drug from each batch will be tested at regular period over the years and the result analysed. I doubt if there is any drug manufacturer out there that will like to wait that long to predict how long the drug they produce will stay before commercial production.

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The expiration date on drugs does not indicate when a drug has lost its effectiveness and is unsafe for use. In fact, many medical authorities have confirmed that 90 % of more than 100 drugs from both over the counter drugs and prescription only medicines retained most of their potency after 15 years.

Note that there are some drugs with low therapeutic index. They are drugs that truly have a very short lifespan in terms of potency. Examples are nitro-glycerine, insulin and some antibacterial. These are not to be used beyond their expiration date.

Expiration of a product depends on so many factors such as storage conditions. This include from where it was produced, shipment to stores as well as home storage conditions. This technically will render the stated date invalid. Another thing to consider is that most drugs have just one expiration date, which is applicable when the drug has not be opened. Once the product has been exposed to air, a new expiration date is set. That is why some few, mostly eye/ear drops always include warning that the product cannot be used after some time from the moment it was opened. Most of those drugs have a very suitable environment for bacterial.

After the expiration date by the manufacturers, the medicine may not be safe or effective as before. This is mostly indicated by the new bad taste, colour, texture, and odour. Tablets disintegrate while liquids separate into layers. This may be because of a change in chemical and physical nature. This may lead to reduced potency or in some cases toxicity.

Until date, there are no published data from harms with use of drugs after they have past their expiration date. It is better to stay off all expired products, be it drugs or food. Finish off your prescription and if you feel there may be temptation to take that drug after some time, discard it. Be safe! Be smart!

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Factors That Affect Drug Expiry Date

• The container in which they are package either from the manufacturer or by the consumer
• The environmental storage condition have a lot to play on product expiration date. Improperly stored drugs may not get to the day it is supposed to expire.
• Time.
• The dosage formulation e.g. liquid formulations are most time unstable compared to solid products.
• The appearance of the drug plays a significant role in keeping the drug active for long. The colour white is a better reflector than other colours. This means that white drugs will not retain heat, unlike other colours. So white drugs will last more.

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