Letter Re: The Real Shelf Life of Prescription Medications

Hi Jim,
You may already know about this, but if not, I think you and your readers will find it useful. The following link http://www.mercola.com/2001/feb/7/drug_expiration.htm tells of a study the U.S. Air Force requested 15 plus years ago to determine the shelf life of it's inventory of medicine. The USAF was concerned about having to dump and restock millions of dollars worth of pharmaceuticals. The upshot is, the study proved most medicines are still good way beyond their printed expiration date. This was good news for one of my sons, who requires a daily prescription for his condition. I have researched his prescription in detail and discovered that his medicine is still viable for two years past the expiration date. As a result, I have stocked up on several weeks of his medicine to see him through should something happen to prevent us from replenishing his prescription. What really irks me was the FDA's attitude about not pushing Drug companies to extent the expatriation dates to benefit the consumer: "It's not the job of the FDA to be concerned about a consumer's economic interest." It would be up to Congress to impose changes, he says. As things stand now, expiration dates get a lot of emphasis. For instance, there is a campaign, co-sponsored by some drug retailers, that urges people to discard pills when they reach the date on the label." Talk about your planned obsolescence for making a profit!

Of course, one should be very careful about storing and using any drug past it's expiration date--Certain antibiotics can be dangerous. Exposure to heat, moisture, etc., can degrade medications [shortening their shelf life.] Be sure to check with your physician, keep a record of what the medication is used for, and store them properly. All in all, it's good to know that you can keep leftovers from certain prescriptions as part of your emergency preparedness gear. Keep up the great site! - R.S.