Can You Take Medications After Their Expiration Date?
Key takeaways:
Medication manufacturers set expiration dates for their products. But that doesn’t always mean that the medication stops working after that date. Some medications, though, can be harmful if you take them after their expiration date.
Storing your medications according to the instructions on their labels can help them stay effective until their expiration date.
There are a few different ways to dispose of expired prescriptions and over-the-counter items. The safest way is to bring your medications to a drug take-back location.
Table of contents
When was the last time you looked through your medicine cabinet? If it’s been more than a few months, you may find expired medications. So what do you do with them? While some medications simply won’t work as well after expiring, others can be dangerous to take.
Generally, it’s a good idea to avoid taking any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications after their printed expiration date. Always consult with a healthcare professional before taking something that has expired.
Is your medication still safe to take past the expiration date?
It’s unlikely that a medication will harm you if you take it after its expiration date. As we’ll discuss below, only tetracycline (an antibiotic) is known to be harmful after it expires. But even if expired medications aren’t dangerous, you might want to think twice before taking them.
SHINGRIX (Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted) is now $0 for almost everyone*
Get SHINGRIX at the pharmacy or in-network doctor’s office today. 98% of privately insured people pay $0 and all Medicare Part D beneficiaries pay $0 at the pharmacy.
Prescribing Information
*Coverage and cost may vary and are subject to change without notice. Reimbursement decisions are made by individual insurance plans.
SHINGRIX is an FDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of shingles (herpes zoster) in adults 50 years and older. SHINGRIX is not used to prevent chickenpox.
• You should not receive SHINGRIX if you are allergic to any of its ingredients or had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of SHINGRIX
• An increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (severe muscle weakness) was observed after vaccination with SHINGRIX
• Fainting can happen after getting injectable vaccines, including SHINGRIX. Precautions should be taken to avoid falling and injury due to fainting
• The most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach
• SHINGRIX was not studied in pregnant or nursing women. Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding
• Vaccination with SHINGRIX may not protect all individuals
• Ask your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of SHINGRIX. Only a healthcare provider can decide if SHINGRIX is right for you
You are encouraged to report vaccine adverse events to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Visit www.vaers.hhs.gov to file a report, or call 1-800-822-7967.
For US audiences.
Trademarks are property of their respective owners.
©️2024 GSK or licensor.
PMUS-SGXWCNT240015 May 2024
Produced in the USA.
GoodRx Health information and resources are reviewed by our editorial staff with medical and healthcare policy and pricing experience. See our editorial policy for more detail. We also provide access to services offered by GoodRx and our partners when we think these services might be useful to our visitors. We may receive compensation when a user decides to leverage these services, but making them available does not influence the medical content our editorial staff provides.
Some people believe that medications are still effective after their expiration date. Well, there may be some truth to this. But the FDA clearly states you shouldn’t use expired medications because of potential risks. For some medications — like blood thinners used for blood clots — less effectiveness can lead to serious health complications.
As a general rule, solid medications, like tablets, are more stable than liquids after their expiration date has passed. But this doesn’t mean you should take any medications after their expiration date.
How long can you use medicine after the expiration date?
Ideally, you shouldn’t take or use medication at all after the expiration date passes.
Beyond-use date vs. expiration date: Learn about beyond-use dates and what this means when it comes to medication safety.
Don’t just throw your expired medicine in the trash: Find out how to safely dispose of expired or leftover medications.
Medication storage 101: Knowing where and how to store your medications can help them last until their expiration dates.
As we’ll explain below, there’s no guarantee that it will work as well as expected after this date. And taking medication that’s not fully effective could lead to serious health consequences.
It’s best to talk to a healthcare professional before taking or using expired medications — even if the date recently passed.
What are expiration dates, and why are they important to pay attention to?
According to the FDA, a medication’s expiration date is defined as “the time period during which the product is known to remain stable, which means it retains its strength, quality, and purity when it is stored according to its labeled storage conditions.”
Expiration dates are assigned to:
Prescription medications
OTC medications
Vitamins
Dietary supplements
Herbal products
Since 1979, the FDA has required expiration dates on prescription and OTC medications to improve medication safety. But it’s the medication’s manufacturer that sets an initial expiration date. This can be updated or extended after long-term testing of the medication has been conducted.
What happens when you take expired medicine?
The answer to this question varies depending on what the medication is. Most expired medicines aren’t harmful. But they may not work as well as they should.
Some medications, especially those taken to treat critical health issues, should always be taken before the manufacturer’s expiration date. This is because they can break down after expiring. There’s also a risk of liquid medications becoming contaminated with bacteria after they expire.
Examples of these medications include:
Nitroglycerin (Nitrostat)
Epinephrine autoinjectors (EpiPen, Auvi-Q)
Oral liquid antibiotics
Below, we’ve detailed what can happen after these medications pass their expiration dates:
Medication | What it’s used to treat | What happens after the expiration date |
|---|---|---|
Nitroglycerin | Chest pain and heart attacks | Very sensitive to heat and moisture. Breaks down quickly and could fail to stop a heart attack. |
Insulin | Breaks down quickly after the expiration date, making it less effective. This can lead to high blood glucose (sugar) levels. | |
Epinephrine | Life-threatening allergic reactions (closing of the throat and airways) | Breaks down quickly after the expiration date and may not work to stop allergic reactions. |
Oral liquid antibiotics | Bacterial infections | Can become contaminated with bacteria after their expiration date. Could make you sicker and may fail to treat your existing infection. |
Eye drops | Various eye conditions and illnesses | Can become contaminated with bacteria and lead to eye infections, such as pink eye (conjunctivitis). |
Birth control | Pregnancy prevention, menstruation regulation, acne, and other hormone-related conditions | Lower effectiveness could lead to unplanned pregnancies, breakthrough bleeding, and spotting. |
What common medications are harmful when expired?
Currently, only the antibiotic tetracycline is known to be harmful when expired. In several reported cases, expired tetracycline has caused Fanconi syndrome. This is a rare form of kidney damage that prevents electrolytes from being absorbed by the body. For this reason, you should never take expired tetracycline.
This problem hasn’t been seen with other medications in the same class as tetracycline, such as doxycycline (Vibramycin, Doryx) or minocycline (Minocin).
What about popular OTC medications like ibuprofen and Tylenol?
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Does ibuprofen expire?” And, the answer is yes. All medications, even those available OTC, have expiration dates. But it’s unlikely that they’ll harm you if you take them past that date. Though, they may not work as well — or at all — to alleviate your symptoms.
Some other common OTC medications that have expiration dates include:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Diclofenac sodium gel (Voltaren gel)
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
Fluticasone propionate (Flonase)
Loratadine (Claritin)
Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)
While it’s best only to use non-expired medications, one study conducted by the U.S. military found that some medications could retain their potency for a year or more after the expiration date has passed. However, the potency of the medications in the study varied from batch to batch. So there’s no way to know if your OTC medications at home are still effective after they’ve expired.
Similar to prescription medications, expired OTC medications could be especially risky if they’re used to treat chronic conditions. For example, aspirin can be used daily to prevent heart problems and may not work properly after its expiration date has passed. Taking expired aspirin in this situation could raise your risk of serious health issues, such as a stroke.
It’s best to discard expired products and always consult a healthcare professional to stay up to date with your medications.
How to store medications to ensure their effectiveness and longevity
Storing medications properly will help them remain safe and effective up until their expiration date. Heat and moisture are the biggest factors that affect the breakdown of medications. Most prescription and OTC medications should be stored in a cool, dry location, such as:
An upper kitchen cabinet that’s not directly over or under a heat source, such as an oven
A dresser drawer
A closet shelf
A storage box or medication lockbox
Avoid storing your medications in a damp bathroom cabinet. They could break down faster than usual in high-moisture, high-temperature environments.
Some medications have different storage requirements. For example, some oral liquid antibiotics and insulins may need to be stored in the refrigerator. Read the labeling on your medication carefully for storage instructions, and contact your pharmacist if you’re unsure.
How to properly dispose of expired medications
If you do have expired medications, there are several ways you can get rid of them. Disposing them at a drug take-back location is the safest option. Many health systems, police departments, and community pharmacies offer unused medication drop boxes. You can simply place any medications you want to dispose of in the bin and be on your way.
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors National Drug Take-Back Days. Twice a year, extra drop-off locations are available to dispose of unwanted medications. These take-back days typically happen at the end of April and October annually. You can also search for a year-round medication disposal location near you on the DEA website.
For more detailed information, check out our other GoodRx Health article on how to safely dispose of expired or unused medications.
Do written prescriptions expire?
Yes, written prescriptions expire. When your prescriber sends in a prescription to your pharmacy, you usually have up to 1 year to fill the prescription before it expires in most states. The exception to this is prescriptions for controlled substances, which may only be valid for 6 months or less, depending on state laws.
If you try to fill a medication with an expired prescription, your pharmacy will tell you that you need a new prescription from your prescriber. They can often request a new prescription on your behalf, especially for routine medications.
Keep in mind that prescription expiration dates are based on state and federal laws and are different from manufacturer expiration dates. Sometimes, the medication inside your prescription bottle may still be good after the prescription is no longer valid to refill. Ask your pharmacist where on your prescription label the manufacturer expiration date is, so you can be sure it’s safe to keep taking it.
Frequently asked questions
If you’re taking expired medication by mouth, it could potentially affect your entire body. Once your body absorbs the medication, it circulates through your bloodstream. But some medications affect one organ more than others, such as the liver or kidneys. A healthcare professional can provide more detailed information on which organs your medication affects.
Ideally, you shouldn’t take any medications after their expiration date (even in an emergency). In most situations, expired medications don’t work as well as they do before this date. In the case of epinephrine, using it after its expiration date could mean it won’t stop a serious allergic reaction. If you’re having severe or life-threatening symptoms of any nature, it’s best to call 911 or go to the ER for help.
It’s best not to take or use any expired medications. But you also shouldn’t throw them in your normal trash or flush them down the toilet. You should take expired medications to a medication drop-off location.
Usually not. Currently, the only medication that’s known to cause harm after its expiration date is the antibiotic tetracycline. But some products, such as oral liquid antibiotics and eye drops could become contaminated with bacteria or fungi after their expiration date. And this contamination could make you sick.
It’s a good idea to call your prescriber or pharmacist if you accidentally take expired medication. They can let you know if you should be evaluated for potential complications. They’ll also likely suggest discarding your expired product and getting a new one to have on hand.
The bottom line
Overall, it’s best to only use medications before their expiration date passes. While some products may still be effective for a year or more after their expiration date, there’s no sure way to know if expired medications are still working properly. Always speak with a healthcare professional before taking an expired medication. Storing medications as recommended on the label, and disposing of expired items properly, are essential for ensuring medication safety in your home.
Why trust our experts?
References
Beery, S., et al. (2019). Can medications become harmful after the expiration date? Nursing.
Cantrell, L., et al. (2012). Stability of active ingredients in long-expired prescription medications. Archives of Internal Medicine.
Code of Federal Regulations. (2025). Section 1306.22 Refilling of prescriptions.
Davido, B., et al. (2024). Efficacy of expired antibiotics: A real debate in the context of repeated drug shortages. Antibiotics.
Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). Take Back Day.
Gikonyo, D., et al. (2019). Drug expiry debate: The myth and the reality. African Health Sciences.
Lyon, R. C., et al. (2006). Stability profiles of drug products extended beyond labeled expiration dates. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Montoliu, J., et al. (1981). Lactic acidosis and Fanconi's syndrome due to degraded tetracycline. The BMJ.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Disposal of unused medicines: What you should know.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Don’t be tempted to use expired medicines.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025). Expiration dates - Questions and answers.
Was this page helpful?
Related Articles
Browse medications
View AllResearch prescriptions and over-the-counter medications from A to Z, compare drug prices, and start saving.