{"id":1984,"date":"2019-12-09T14:17:28","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T19:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=1984"},"modified":"2025-04-16T14:33:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T18:33:43","slug":"expired-drugs-safe-take","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/expired-drugs-safe-take\/","title":{"rendered":"Is expired medicine safe to take?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever reached for a bottle of ibuprofen when you had a headache only to find the expiration date has passed, you might be wondering if you can take an out-of-date medication, if it will make you sick, or if it simply won\u2019t work once it\u2019s past its intended shelf-life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer isn\u2019t a simple yes or no. Some medications\u2014both over-the-counter and prescription\u2014lose their potency when they stay on the shelf too long but some can become dangerous and even toxic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A drug\u2019s expiration date is when its active ingredients are no longer at full potency, as determined by the drug manufacturer. In addition to not working, some medications are also unsafe when they are past their expiration date.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it safe to take expired medicine?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no specific time period past an expiration date that a medication can be guaranteed safe and effective. <\/span>Assuming risk when you take expired drugs comes down to how dangerous it is to take that particular medication and how badly you need it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMost medications are not toxic after they expire,\u201d says <\/span>Christina M. Madison, Pharm.D., the founder of <\/span>The Public Health Pharmacist<\/span><\/a>. However, there are several drawbacks to popping those pills past the \u201cuse by\u201d date:<\/span><\/p>\n