Vitamins
How To Best Store Drugs And Vitamins
Date: 28/11/03
I was helping my brother prepare for a move last weekend, and while packing up we were also throwing out some old items.
He was going through containers of over-the-counter medications when he laughed and showed me an aspirin bottle that was almost two years past the 'best if used before' date.
But then I stopped to think about the word 'best' in that phrase, and I wondered: How bad could it be to use those aspirins long after that date? If they weren't 'best,' does that mean they'd be ineffective? And could they do any harm?
After digging though a little research, I found some reliable information from the US that runs contrary to the standard thinking that we should discard a medication after its expiration date has been reached. But not all drugs are useable after that date, and the ones that are require proper storage.
Hot & humid
In 1979 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set out guidelines for expiration dates, required of all prescription and over-the-counter drugs. But the regulatory mandate to drug companies was not to establish exactly how long a drug would be potent and safe, but rather to set an arbitrary date, and then do the testing necessary to guarantee that a drug would be potent and safe at least until that date.
So when a company sets an expiration date for a new drug - let's say, for instance, 18 months - they don't place the drug on a shelf for a year and a half and then test it for potency. Instead they subject it to extremes of humidity, heat, and light (the three enemies of drug potency), designed to approximate deterioration over time. This is followed by chemical analysis to insure that the active ingredients are still intact.
Since the beginning of the expiration date requirement, scientists for both the FDA and drug companies have generally agreed that the testing standards are rigorous enough that most drugs are safe and potent well beyond their established expiration dates.
Ancient aspirin
While most drugs are fairly durable, some aren't - so it's always vital that you check with your doctor first. A former FDA expiration-date compliance chief named Joel Davis told the Wall Street Journal that nitroglycerin, insulin, and some liquid antibiotics are more perishable and should be used or discarded before their listed 'use by' date.
So in theory, my brother's aspirin is probably still good a full two years past the expiration date. In fact, Bayer has tested aspirin as old as four years and found it to be just as effective as the day it was manufactured. The big question, however, is this: What happens to that aspirin and other drugs in your medicine cabinet over the course of several years?
As I said above, the culprits that rob drug potency are heat, humidity, and direct light. So ironically, medicine cabinets in bathrooms that get steamed up by daily hot showers may not be the best place to keep medications. But a refrigerator is perfect: cool, dark, and dry. Again, check with your doctor before taking any drug that's out of date.
On the supplement side...
Does all of the above also apply to vitamins and other dietary supplements?
In many respects, yes.
All reliable supplement manufacturers conduct tests to determine how long the full potency of their products can be guaranteed. And while supplements are generally regarded as effective and safe beyond their expiration dates, you wouldn't purchase food that had passed the 'sell by' date, and I'm sure you wouldn't purchase a supplement after that date either.
Like drugs, vitamins and supplements should be kept away from heat, humidity, and direct light. And if you should notice a change in the odour, taste or appearance of a supplement (or a drug), you would be wise to discard it, regardless of the expiration date.
Bottom line: Store your supplements and medications properly, and many of them could still be effective long after the 'use before' date.
Back to topHe was going through containers of over-the-counter medications when he laughed and showed me an aspirin bottle that was almost two years past the 'best if used before' date.
But then I stopped to think about the word 'best' in that phrase, and I wondered: How bad could it be to use those aspirins long after that date? If they weren't 'best,' does that mean they'd be ineffective? And could they do any harm?
After digging though a little research, I found some reliable information from the US that runs contrary to the standard thinking that we should discard a medication after its expiration date has been reached. But not all drugs are useable after that date, and the ones that are require proper storage.
Hot & humid
In 1979 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set out guidelines for expiration dates, required of all prescription and over-the-counter drugs. But the regulatory mandate to drug companies was not to establish exactly how long a drug would be potent and safe, but rather to set an arbitrary date, and then do the testing necessary to guarantee that a drug would be potent and safe at least until that date.
So when a company sets an expiration date for a new drug - let's say, for instance, 18 months - they don't place the drug on a shelf for a year and a half and then test it for potency. Instead they subject it to extremes of humidity, heat, and light (the three enemies of drug potency), designed to approximate deterioration over time. This is followed by chemical analysis to insure that the active ingredients are still intact.
Since the beginning of the expiration date requirement, scientists for both the FDA and drug companies have generally agreed that the testing standards are rigorous enough that most drugs are safe and potent well beyond their established expiration dates.
Ancient aspirin
While most drugs are fairly durable, some aren't - so it's always vital that you check with your doctor first. A former FDA expiration-date compliance chief named Joel Davis told the Wall Street Journal that nitroglycerin, insulin, and some liquid antibiotics are more perishable and should be used or discarded before their listed 'use by' date.
So in theory, my brother's aspirin is probably still good a full two years past the expiration date. In fact, Bayer has tested aspirin as old as four years and found it to be just as effective as the day it was manufactured. The big question, however, is this: What happens to that aspirin and other drugs in your medicine cabinet over the course of several years?
As I said above, the culprits that rob drug potency are heat, humidity, and direct light. So ironically, medicine cabinets in bathrooms that get steamed up by daily hot showers may not be the best place to keep medications. But a refrigerator is perfect: cool, dark, and dry. Again, check with your doctor before taking any drug that's out of date.
On the supplement side...
Does all of the above also apply to vitamins and other dietary supplements?
In many respects, yes.
All reliable supplement manufacturers conduct tests to determine how long the full potency of their products can be guaranteed. And while supplements are generally regarded as effective and safe beyond their expiration dates, you wouldn't purchase food that had passed the 'sell by' date, and I'm sure you wouldn't purchase a supplement after that date either.
Like drugs, vitamins and supplements should be kept away from heat, humidity, and direct light. And if you should notice a change in the odour, taste or appearance of a supplement (or a drug), you would be wise to discard it, regardless of the expiration date.
Bottom line: Store your supplements and medications properly, and many of them could still be effective long after the 'use before' date.
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