How does your medicine cupboard look? Lovely, neat rows carefully organised by product type and use – or a chaotic mess of almost-spent tubes and tubs, random plasters and half-full pill packets dating back to God-knows-when? Be honest.
If it’s the latter, then there’s a good chance the fact that each of those products has an expiry date may also have passed you by.
But they’re not given for nothing – indeed, some drugs may last for as little as a few months. And while some will simply become less effective over time, others may be unsafe to use or even become contaminated by bacteria.
Pharmacist Deborah Grayson says: ‘Depending on the product, it can be dangerous to use them after their expiry date. While some are more worrying than others, always be on the safe side and check that your pills and creams are in date before using them.’
Here is your guide to what you could still safely use even if it is getting a little dusty – and what you absolutely must throw out.
Tablets such as paracetamol and ibuprofen will often have a long expiry date
LOWER RISK
Keep them cool and dry – but don’t push it too long
Tablets such as paracetamol and ibuprofen will often have a long expiry date, and will be safe to use until then as long as they’re in blister packs.
‘If the blister packs are intact, oxygen won’t be able to get in,’
Ms Grayson says. ‘While they may be safe for a few months outside their expiry date, the effect will likely be reduced.’
Likewise, antidepressants, steroids such as prednisolone and antihistamines such as Piriton also won’t cause any harm if they’re out of date, but will lose effectiveness. They should always be replaced if they’re an essential part of your health routine or if you have severe allergies.
But if they are kept dry, in a cool place and out of sunlight, they may well be OK for a short while at least.
Powders and wet wipes that can survive for years
Powdered sachets of electrolytes, such as diarrhoea treatment Dioralyte, are among the few items in your cabinet which can survive for years as the risk of degradation is low.
Antiseptic wipes are also safe to use after their expiration date because they’re not prone to bacterial contamination. They may dry out – but if you splash them with water they’re ‘better than nothing,’ says Ms Grayson.
Vitamins won’t harm you… but might not do anything
Like other common pills, out-of-date supplements such as vitamin C are likely to be ineffective rather than harmful if they’re past their expiry date, Ms Grayson explains.
‘It’s highly likely they’ll oxidise over time, and will become darker when this happens,’ she says. Tablets designed to be dissolved in water will degrade quicker.
MEDIUM RISK
Antibiotics that could trigger ‘food-poisoning’
Studies suggest antibiotics in tablet form keep 90 per cent of their potency and efficacy for up to five years after the expiry date.
But if they’re in bottles rather than sealed blister packs, oxygen could penetrate them and change their composition, making them less effective.
The liquid type should always be binned when they expire because they’re more of a risk for bacterial contamination. This means you could basically get a food poisoning-type infection or worse.
However, you should never pour liquid antibiotics down the sink or flush them down the toilet. This causes the antibiotics to get into the environment and can lead to the creation of drug-resistant superbugs.
Instead, patients should return their leftover antibiotics to their local pharmacy, where it can be disposed of safely.
Plasters lose sterility, but they’re better than nothing
The adhesive strip on a plaster – and its sterility – degrades over time, so may no longer stick properly over wounds and increase the likelihood of an infection.
‘If all you have is out-of-date dressings, then I would still use them, but replace with in-date products as soon as possible,’ Ms Grayson suggests.
HIGHER RISK
Bin your bottle of aspirin if it smells like vinegar
Watch out for aspirin, especially if the tablets come in a bottle – if it’s been opened, oxygen can cause the tablets to degrade.
‘If the bottle has a potent, vinegar-like smell, it’s not good to use,’ says Ms Grayson. ‘Consuming it could potentially cause damage to the lining of the stomach.’
Creams and ointments that can cause serious infection
While steroid creams and ointments used to treat skin conditions typically have a long expiry date, once opened they should be used within three to six months.
‘If used on broken skin or open wounds, bacterial contamination can enter the body,’ Ms Grayson warns. ‘As steroids also switch off the immune response, this can increase the risk of infection.’
Throw away eye drops within 28 days of opening
Eye drops to treat infections and relieve hay fever symptoms carry a risk of bacterial contamination after they’ve been opened and should be discarded after 28 days.
‘Always mark your eye drops with the date you first used them, so you know when to throw them out,’ Ms Grayson suggests.
Cough syrup is another product that is often opened and left unfinished, but it can become contaminated with bacteria which can cause a nasty infection, so should be thrown out after six months.
- Deborah Grayson has more than 20 years’ experience as a pharmacist. To get in touch, visit digestionwithconfidence.co.uk.
