DEAR DR. GOTT: Is it OK to take amoxicillin that has expired?
DEAR READER: This is not an uncommon question to ask. In fact, I wrote about this very subject a year ago and mentioned a study by our military services who were faced with the question of disposing of a huge stockpile of outdated drugs sixteen years prior at enormous expense and replacing them with new medication, or whether the drugs were still safe and effective beyond the expiration dates posted. Oddly enough, the military found that more than 90% of the drugs tested were perfectly good to use as many as 15 years FOLLOWING the presumed termination dates. A report covering the topic appeared in the Wall Street Journal in March 2000. In 2003, three years following, the FDA indicated they hadn’t yet garnered sufficient evidence from the program to make a determination — despite the fact that most of what is known regarding drug expiration dates has come from the study conducted by the FDA at the request of the military. Go figure!
Since 1979 drug manufacturers have been required to include an expiration date on their products — the date being one in which the manufacturer can rather safely guarantee the full potency and safety of each product.
We can certainly take the view that expiration dates are a marketing ploy to keep the average American restocking medicine cabinets with regularity. This keeps pharmaceutical companies in business and us with less cash in our pockets. Or, we can take the opposite view that the dates posted are conservative and we should be able to expect good results if we take a drug that doesn’t have an expired date on the packaging. Now, before I proceed further, I must indicate there are some considerations that cannot be overlooked such as insulin for diabetes, nitroglycerine for cardiac conditions and liquid and certain pill antibiotics that don’t last indefinitely. Because you don’t mention which amoxicillin you are on, I am assuming you are referring to pills rather than a liquid that has a shorter shelf life. If we are talking a liquid, I must defer to your physician or pharmacist as to whether he or she would recommend you use the amoxicillin at hand. I must admit I am unsure of the criteria used by the FDA for shelf life of a product, so perhaps I shouldn’t pass judgment across the board. However, I personally feel you can expect good results a year following recommended expiration dates on many tablet or capsule meds but I would never impose my values on you or your family members. Generally speaking, medications retain their potency well beyond the expiration dates listed and outdated drugs — whether over-the-counter or prescription — are not considered harmful to take.
One important factor to consider is how you store your meds. They should be kept in a cool, dry place such as in a high kitchen cabinet or dresser drawer away from your sink and away from any appliances such as your stove or dishwasher that might generate heat or humidity. Obviously your bathroom is the first storage area that comes to mind, yet that particular room is filled with heat and excess humidity every day from your tub or shower and should be avoided. Further, do not use any pills or capsules that are discolored, powdery, or have an unpleasant odor about them. This recommendation also applies to liquid medications that might become cloudy with time.
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