{"id":627396,"date":"2024-03-18T16:07:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T20:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=627396"},"modified":"2026-06-04T18:24:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T22:24:02","slug":"does-ibuprofen-expire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/does-ibuprofen-expire\/","title":{"rendered":"Does ibuprofen expire?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe it\u2019s the coffee you drink every morning. Or the yogurt that got pushed to the back of the fridge. Or a forgotten bunch of now-wilting spinach. Everything in the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets has an expiration date, and the medicine cabinet is no exception. The law requires all medications to have printed expiration dates, so the clock is ticking once you break the safety seal on ibuprofen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How long is that countdown? Is it safe to take expired ibuprofen? Where should you store medication? All those answers and more are right here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>What is ibuprofen?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Can you take expired ibuprofen?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Look at a brand-new bottle of <\/span>ibuprofen<\/span><\/a>, and you\u2019ll see an expiration date (aka expiry) of between one to five years. That\u2019s true across brand names and formulations (200 mg, 400 mg, etc.). However, whether it\u2019s <\/span>safe to take these expired medications<\/span><\/a> is a little less clear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A law established in 1979 required all drug manufacturers to include expiration dates on their medications, and they\u2019ve been doing it ever since. According to <\/span>Harvard Health<\/span><\/a>, this is the date until the manufacturer can guarantee the drug\u2019s full potency and safety.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends<\/span><\/a> avoiding medications after their expiration date, saying they can lose their potency or change in chemical composition. <\/span>\u201cWhen a drug expires, a few things can happen,\u201d says <\/span>Dr. Dhaval Desai, MD<\/span><\/a>, Director of Hospital Medicine at <\/span>Emory Saint Joseph\u2019s Hospital<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWith some medications, nothing happens. Other medications could have an altered component as they age, changing how they work. So the best thing I can say is to avoid expired ibuprofen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Certain studies have attempted to determine whether expired medications are safe and, if so, how long they can last after the expiration date. For example,<\/span> this study from 2019<\/span><\/a> concluded that it\u2019s \u201cnot uncommon that the actual shelf life [to exceed] the manufacturer-assigned one by three- or four-fold.\u201d Studies like<\/span> this one from 2012<\/span><\/a> have found that drugs can maintain potency for years after that date.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The thing is, every drug is different, so it\u2019s hard to pin down their post-expiration safety. Plus, some may be unsafe, so it might not be worth the risk. For medications where 100% effectiveness is critical, it\u2019s best not to take them after the expiration date. However, reduced potency is often the primary consequence of ibuprofen, Tylenol (acetaminophen), supplements, and other over-the-counter medications. Liquid medications break down faster, so it\u2019s usually best to use them by the drug\u2019s expiration date or dispose of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Note: <\/b>Taking certain expired medicines can be ineffective and dangerous. Certain OTC and prescription drugs can break down, become toxic, or get contaminated after their expiration date, including:<\/span><\/p>\n