Check your labels, folks.
Taking expired medicines may not seem like a great job, but Dr. Jamie Winn, a pharmacist and medical director at the Universal Drugstore, tells the post that some of them can do serious damage to your health.
“While it may seem harmless, you can endanger your health if you are not aware of what can happen while taking medication beyond its expiration date,” he warned.
He found out which are less likely to do damage and the four medicines that are the most dangerous to get the date on the label.
Many people have set up an Advil or Tylenol by spending the date of use on the label without any negative side effects, and Winn acknowledges that sedatives of lawsuit such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen as well as antihistamines are relatively safe to consume after their expiration dates.
“The danger here is not toxicity, which can occur when the breakdown of some more serious medicines, but loss of power, so they will not be so effective,” he said.
This will be said, that lack of power “can encourage people to get more pills than advised. This can get a fee in your body.”
While some expired medicines present the risk of being ineffective, taking others can lead to more serious consequences.
“Some medicines should never deal with their expiration date, even if they expire a little, so it’s important to adhere to these suggested dates,” he said.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics should always be taken as determined, Winn said, and it is never consumed after reaching their expiration date.
“Some types, such as tetracyclines, can degrade so much that if consumed on the expiry date, they can lead to kidney damage,” he explained.
Plus, if they have lost their effectiveness, they may not wipe the bacteria in your body, leading to a worse infection.
“This is especially the case with liquid antibiotics, which can be contaminated once [expiration] The date has passed. ”
After all, you should not really have extra antibiotics at home in the first place.
“Antibiotics are usually prescribed to be taken immediately on a particular course, so you should not have any remaining medicine,” he said. Failure to get full course can make your infection return, and can also increase the risk of antibiotics resistant bacteria that is more difficult to treat. “
Heart medication
The most serious medamas can mean more serious consequences if they are not working as it is thought.
Heart drugs like nitroglycerin lose their power over time, “which is problematic for those with heart conditions,” Winn said.
Insulin
Winn noted that insulin can be completely dangerous if taken after the expiry date.
“Those with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin to help regulate their blood sugar daily. Once expired, it may not work effectively and can cause hyperglycemia, which can lead to some very serious complications,” he said.
Epipens
Winn warned against the use of Epipens beyond the date of their expiration, pointing out that choice can mean the difference between life and death.
“If the drug starts to degrade, it may not be able to provide the effect of rescuing the necessary life if someone is experiencing an anaphylactic shock,” he said.
Other risk factors
“Expiration dates are important for many reasons, but this is mainly because over time, the ingredients within the medication can start to break down. Think about it in the same way food breaks when for an extended period,” Winn explained.
“This means that the medicine will not work as well, or worse, become harmful. Which can actually cause unexpected side effects or dangerous reactions. The older the medicine, the higher the risk.”
As the post was previously reported, eye points should be dropped 28 days after opening, regardless of the expiry date.
Meanwhile, expired creams or ointments, which undergo changes in chemical composition over time and can accumulate bacterial growth, should be avoided as they can cause an infection if applied to broken skin.
But Winn told The Post that there is a significant difference between the medicines he has expired recently, let’s say a month ago, for a year.
“As time progresses beyond [expiration] Date, the greater the disruption of the medication, which means that they will not be so effective to help cure or relieve the symptom you are taking. “
As well as where you store your medicine also contributes to the timeline of its degradation.
“If you keep your medicines in wet areas like your bathroom, they can break down faster thanks to moisture in the air.”
To dismiss the expired recipes, experts advise patients to visit their local pharmacy so that the medication can be tossed safely.
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