@GottaLaff Speaking as a (long ago, now ex) pharmacist, there's a reason for those expiry dates: they're set extremely conservatively and factor in possible bad warehouse storage. Most drug substances slowly decay/degrade, it happens faster if they're too warm, and the manufacturer has no control over wholesale warehouses. So the mfrs calculate expiry dates on the assumption that they're very badly stored in a sweltering warehouse with no working a/c.
@GottaLaff That's for prescription meds, though. I've noted American over-the-counter meds have ridiculously short expiry dates, to encourage consumers to chuck them out and replace them in the home medicine cupboard on a regular basis.
Rule of thumb: if it's a prescription drug, go with the posted expiry date. If it's an OTC one that you bought, assume a shelf life of five years (for solids). Put a sticker on the jar with the date you bought it plus five years as a reminder.
@GottaLaff My ENT belongs to a 'doctors without borders' like organization. He travels with many other doctors annually. He collects all medications his patients are no longer taking (expired or not) and the doctors pool all the meds and are able to treat many people during their visits.
@GottaLaff I recall going to a lecture some years back in which a colleague who undertook calorimetry measurements for a big pharmaceutical company talked us through his methodology. The method was based on measuring miniscule amounts of heat generated by the decay of a substance, fitting a number of exponential curves (often problematic) and using the output as indicative of loss-of-effectiveness. Worthy measurements, but lots of residual uncertainties. Maybe 'best before' dates are better ...
The US Army did a big study on this. They found very specific values for efficacy. What I loved was they did a big test on albuterol rescue inhalers (asthma). I think they found +3 yrs past expiry.
But as pointed out earlier, cool, dry, and dark are the keys.
When it comes to medicines and food, the most important thing is correct storage.
And! always check goods for damage before storage.
In my experience, the following values are successful:
A temperature of approximately 10 °C to 16 °C;
dry with a humidity of around 50% to 65%;
dark, so not exposed to bright light, especially not UV;
dust-free and no grease haze.
A shelving system, clean cardboard/wooden boxes and a dehumidifier or dry packs promote long storage.
@GottaLaff I took some expired Benadryl, and my apartment turned into a ship in rough seas. Everything tilted from side to side. I fell down twice on the way to the bathroom
@GottaLaff heh. This is one of those things people probably knew without any research/confirmation needed. The motivation/behaviour is probably that we do not throw away pills because they are expensive to buy.
Funny timing to see this, because I just took a Tylenol that expired in 2016. 😅 I don't think I've ever looked at the expiry date the rare times I take something in my medicine cabinet!
@Meznor@GottaLaff Try taking an aspirin that expired in 2016 and when you open the tub you'll be socked in the nose by the smell of vinegar! This is because aspirin—acetyl salicylate—decomposes to acetic acid and salicylic acid in the presence of humidity. SA is still effective as an NSAID but the stench isn't fun.
And this is a mild, harmless example of drug decomposition.
2/ "For decades, the federal government has stockpiled massive stashes of medication, antidotes and vaccines in secure locations throughout the country. The drugs are worth tens of billions of dollars and would provide a first line of defense in case of a large-scale emergency."
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