Hi all, I just realized that my bottle of mepron expires Oct 2007. I have a lot of it left, as my body doesn't tolerate much at a time, and I hate to have to toss it. Is this one of those medications that is ok to take for awhile after the expiration date? Anyone know? Will it not work as well?
Thanks, Pam
Posted by Melanie Reber (Member # 3707) on :
According to Drugs.com:
Advanced consumer information...
Mepron
"Do not use after the expiration date on the label since the medicine may not work properly after that date. Check with your pharmacist if you have any questions about this."
..................
Still, I would speak with your doc and your pharmacist about this...you may be safe for a month or two?
My best, Melanie
Posted by charlie (Member # 25) on :
Not trying to be a pharmacist but if I were you (and I'm not you) I'd use it....tetracyclines are the only abx I know of that get toxic after expiration.
The others mostly just lose potency. Kind of like old film or baker's yeast.
Charlie
Posted by Melanie Reber (Member # 3707) on :
Oh, I forgot to add that I have used expired Mepron a few times. It definitely made me herx, so I knew it was still potent.
NOT saying that you or anyone else should do this though...just adding my own experiences.
M
Posted by alliebridge (Member # 9103) on :
This post jogged my memory. I remember my LLMD saying the same thing. But he didn't mention anything about them becoming toxic.
He said not to worry about expiration dates, that they were created by pharmaceutical companies as a way of making lots of money.
Could I be remembering him wrong, though? Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
I notice that the expiration date is always a year after the date the prescription was filled, so I guess it would also depend on how long the med was on the pharmacy shelf.
Maybe that's not true if the Mepron was in the original bottle ... maybe there's a "real" expiration date on the original bottle.
Posted by docjen (Member # 7510) on :
I think it should be OK for a while. To my knowleddge the risk associated with using an expired med is that it diminishes in effectiveness. That shouldn't be a problem for at least several months after expiration (my guess anyway). Good luck!!
Posted by KS (Member # 12549) on :
I work in the pharmaceutical industry (have even helped establish expiration dates for some products) and would never use a product past its expiration date. Some drugs lose their potency post expiration date but more importantly, some expiration dates are established based on the fact that the product degrades overtime, meaning there could be an increase in impurities that could potentially be dangerous (or have yet to be properly evaluated).
In most cases, there is likely some buffer room (maybe a couple of months) but there is no way to know for sure (unless you work for the company and can get your hands on the data of course).
Posted by pamyla (Member # 8575) on :
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I will doublecheck with my doctor that it is ok to take. I just hate to have to buy a new bottle when I hope to go off this stuff soon The bottle is the original one, and I haven't even had it a year. I remember being pleasantly surprised that the pharmacy had mepron in stock, but now I'm thinking that it might have been sitting on the pharmacy shelf for a bit. So, lesson learned, if your pharmacy has mepron in stock, check the expiration date...
Thanks again for the input! Pam
Posted by groovy2 (Member # 6304) on :
![[confused]](graemlins/confused.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
The bottle is the original one, and I haven't even had it a year. I remember being pleasantly surprised that the pharmacy had mepron in stock, but now I'm thinking that it might have been sitting on the pharmacy shelf for a bit. So, lesson learned, if your pharmacy has mepron in stock, check the expiration date...