Do you take note of the expiration dates of your medications, both prescription and over-the-counter? I must admit that I do not always check the dates printed on the packaging. But I’m here to tell you that it is an important thing to do. In recent weeks, our household has encountered a couple of situations where taking expired medications have produced less than satisfactory results.
The first situation involved an over-the-counter medication to help with chest congestion. This drug is one of those which had previously been available by prescription only but is now available over-the-counter. My mother looked through our “drug drawer” to see if we still had some Mucinex on hand - we did. She began to take it, following the directions, but didn’t experience much improvement in her symptoms.
I checked the original container and discovered that our bottle of pills was at least two years beyond the expiration date. Oops. Those pills were likely several years old and had lost their potency. She stopped taking them. Some drugs may become more potent or less stable over time and should not be taken past their expiration date.
Read this post in its entirety:
Out with the Old, In with the New: The Importance of Expiration Dates on Medications
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