2023-07-30 16:07:07
When taking a medication, it is important to verify if it is a legal product and to know its composition, recommendations, and precautions.
An important detail that we must also take into account is the expiration date of the drug, since once the drugs expire they are no longer effective. Consuming a medicine that has expired a long time ago, might imply the interruption of an important treatment and, in some cases, seriously compromise the health of a person.
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The laws of all countries require that the medicines that are marketed have an expiration date that is determined following many exhaustive scientific studies.
To reassure many, José Ramón Azanza, director of the Clinical Pharmacology Service of the University of Navarra (Spain), explained to BBC Mundo that “medications that can produce toxic effects in the patient once the date elapses are very rare. of expiration”.
What usually happens is that this medicine may not be effective, it will not have the effect for which it was made. “It is a problem of efficacy rather than tolerability”, explains the professor of Pharmacology.
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However, the expert clarifies that there is never absolute certainty of how a drug might react. Of the thousands that exist, some may be capable of producing a harmful effect once defeated.
It must be taken into account that international and national organizations that regulate the manufacture and marketing of medicines and laboratories do not carry out studies on the effects of a certain product following its expiration. On the contrary, they focus on its effectiveness and its effects during its useful life, that is, until it expires.
“In pharmacology, uncertainty is not accepted because it affects people’s safety,” Azanza told the BBC.
In essence, while medications often have an expiration date printed on the packaging, most drugs remain safe and effective for some time following that date, as long as they are stored properly. However, it is essential to consider a few factors before deciding to take an expired medication.
Things to keep in mind before taking an expired medicine
Expiration date: The expiration date indicates until which date the manufacturer guarantees the optimal safety and efficacy of the drug. After this date, the quality of the drug may gradually degrade. Type of medication: Some medications may become less effective following the expiration date, while others may be unsafe to use. Medications such as insulin, antibiotics, and liquid medications are more prone to breakdown and may be less safe if taken following their expiration date. Proper storage: The way a medication is stored can affect its durability. If the medicine has been stored incorrectly, its shelf life can be significantly shortened. Health Conditions: If you have a serious medical condition and need a specific medication, it’s better to play it safe and get a new prescription rather than use an expired medication.
How do you know if a medicine is expired?
To know when a medicine has expired, it is necessary to look at the box, label or bottle and locate the expiration date on the product, which can be expressed in the following ways:
– Caducity and/or Cad.
– Expiration and/or Exp.
– Maturity and/or Maturity
In some cases, such as multidose medications, which are those that are opened several times for administration, such as a syrup, it is very important to keep the expiration date in mind.
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Consuming an expired multi-dose drug may alter the stability of the drug that would pose potential risks for the patient related to both the effect and the safety of the drug.
Therefore, it is important to consume the multi-dose medicine well before the expiration date indicated on the package.
In these cases, it is best to check with the pharmacist for its validity period and, in any case, discard the remaining medicine once the treatment is finished.
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