What can be done with expired medications?

Any tablets have a limited shelf life. But what to do next with expired medications? The recommendations of pharmacists are clear - dispose of it and don’t tempt fate. And although many drugs can be stored much longer than the stated period, there are no guarantees for such treatment. There is a third option: certain types of medicines can be used in everyday life and as fertilizers.

Leave at your own risk

In 2006, the journal Clinical Pharmacology published the results of a study on expired medications. Most of them (88%) turned out to be usable, although the date on the package said otherwise. On average, the duration of the delay was 1–5 years. The most durable were the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and iodized potassium granules (12 and 18 years).

But why are the actual shelf life of drugs so greatly underestimated? Scientists explain this by saying that it is not profitable for pharmaceutical companies to conduct long-term trials. It is expensive, and the demand for tablets is decreasing.

Expiration dates on medications are indicated based on the duration of testing by the manufacturer. Usually this is 1–2 years. In fact, they can be good for much longer. But it is not profitable for pharmaceutical companies to test this.

Some doctors allow medications to be taken after the expiration date. But for this, 5 conditions must be met:

• Medicines are not vital.
• They were stored in a dry and dark place.
• The seal of the packaging is not broken.
• The appearance, consistency and smell of the drug have not changed.
• The expiration date is 1–12 months (equivalent to the total shelf life).

What expired pills can you take:

• paracetamol,
• loratadine,
• ibuprofen,
• aspirin.

What expired medications can be dangerous?

Taking any medications that have expired is a risk. You should definitely not take the following medications if they are expired:

• insulin;
• phenobarbital;
• oral contraceptives;
• carbamazepine, phenytoin and other anticonvulsants;
• warfarin;
• epinephrine;
• paraldehyde;
• theophylline;
• nitroglycerine;
• digoxin;
• levothyroxine and other thyroid medications.

It is also worth considering that once opened, medications deteriorate faster. This is especially true for all kinds of syrups, suspensions, ear and eye drops. The latter, moreover, have contact with the mucous membrane and can be contaminated with infectious bacteria.

Use as fertilizer

Some expired medications can bring considerable benefits to indoor flowers and seedlings:

• Activated carbon. An effective remedy for rot and blackleg. Crush the tablets and sprinkle the powder on the roots of the plants when replanting. Activated carbon is useful for treating cut areas, wounds and all kinds of damage to indoor flowers.
• Aspirin. Dissolve the tablet in 1 liter of water. The solution will revive plants with faded leaves and relieve stress after transplantation. And if you put cut flowers in it, the buds will not wither for a long time.

Remove stains from linens and clothes

Using expired aspirin, you can remove stains from blood, sweat, ketchup, coffee, grass:

1. Grind 2-3 tablets.
2. Add 1 tsp.a spoonful of washing powder and 0.5 cups of warm water.
3. Stir until completely dissolved.
4. Apply to stains for 20 minutes.
5. Wash the item as usual.

Hydrogen peroxide at home

After the expiration date, hydrogen peroxide can be used for home care:

• Wipe food trays with expired medicine to remove foreign odors.
• Treat cutting boards for meat and fish.
• Remove yellow stains on white linen - fill them with a solution of peroxide and soda (1 tablespoon per 100 ml of water) and wash the product after 40 minutes.
• Wipe down refrigerator shelves.
• Remove mold in the bathroom - apply to the affected areas and leave for half an hour. Then wash with soap.

Recycle

For many years, expired medications were flushed down the toilet or sent to landfill. Today they are classified as toxic waste and must be disposed of at recycling plants. In most countries, citizens can return expired medications to any pharmacy. However, this does not yet apply to residents of Russia.

Russian pharmacies do not have a license to dispose of medical waste. Collection of expired drugs is carried out by separate private companies. However, most often they accept waste in large quantities and only from legal entities.

Ordinary citizens often have no choice but to continue polluting the environment. Once in a sewer or landfill, medications penetrate into the soil and groundwater along with sediment. And although the impact of various active substances on the environment has not yet been studied enough, it is obvious that this will not lead to anything good. The drugs have a direct effect on aquatic organisms. Many medicinal components do not decompose and end up in drinking water.

What to do with expired medications? To minimize harm to the environment, animals and people:

1. Release the drug from the packaging.
2. Grind and place in a bag.
3. Add something inedible inside (potato peelings, missing product).
4. Tie it up and throw it in the trash container.

Medicines packaged this way will not be used by homeless people or accidentally ingested by animals. Once in a bag, they will remain in a landfill for a relatively long time and will not end up in the soil. Perhaps by then the waste recycling process in the country will improve.

Although opinions about expired drugs are controversial, we advise you not to take risks and not test their effects on yourself. Medicines such as aspirin, hydrogen peroxide, activated charcoal can be left for use at home. It's better to throw everything else away.