Consumer Notice: A note on expiration dates. This article discusses published research on drug stability, including the FDA and Department of Defense Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP). SLEP applies to federal stockpiles held under controlled, monitored storage and tested lot by lot. It does not apply to medications stored at home, and its findings do not extend the expiration date of any medication you own. FDA’s guidance to consumers is that expired medications should not be used. Jase Medical follows the manufacturer’s printed expiration date on every medication we dispense and recommends replacing medications when they expire. Nothing in this article is a recommendation to use expired medication.
Your antibiotics carry an expiration date, and that date is when to replace them. You may see two different dates on what you receive. Here is which one applies.
The pharmacy label date. When a pharmacy dispenses a medication, it prints a date on the prescription label, marked “discard after” or “use by.” This is a beyond-use date. State pharmacy rules set it, commonly at one year from the fill date or the manufacturer’s expiration date, whichever comes first.
The manufacturer’s expiration date. The manufacturer prints an expiration date on the original package, marked “EXP.” Federal rules have required it since 1979. It is the date through which the manufacturer guarantees full potency and safety when the product is stored as labeled in its original container.
Which date applies. If your medication came in the manufacturer’s original sealed packaging, the EXP date on that packaging applies. If your pharmacy repackaged it into a vial or bottle, the date on the pharmacy label applies. Replace the medication on or before the date that applies to you.
What the research shows, and why it doesn’t change your date. The FDA and Department of Defense Shelf Life Extension Program tests medications in federal stockpiles held under controlled, monitored storage. FDA scientists who analyzed the program’s results found that stability varied widely between drugs, and between different lots of the same drug. That variation is why the findings apply only to the specific stockpiled lots tested. Nobody can tell from a bottle at home which group it falls in. The labeled date is the reliable answer.
Storing your antibiotics until their date. Tablets and capsules hold up better than liquids and suspensions. Keep every antibiotic capped in its original container, in a cool, dry, dark place. Avoid bathrooms, vehicles, and anywhere with heat or humidity.
Closing Notice: When a medication reaches its expiration date, replace it. Dispose of the expired supply following FDA’s guidance on expired medicines.
Sources: FDA, Don’t Be Tempted to Use Expired Medicines · FDA, Expiration Dates Questions and Answers · Lyon RC et al., “Stability profiles of drug products extended beyond labeled expiration dates,” J Pharm Sci, 2006.