Myth: Expired Medications Are Dangerous
Perhaps one of the most notable medical myths has to do with expiration labels. Pretty much everything you see with an expiration label in a grocery store is actually not showing you an expiration. Rather, it is giving you the period in which something is at its freshest. Something similar occurs in the world of medications. To clarify: the expiration label on medications is not about freshness but rather, effectiveness. In a study of more than 100 medications conducted by the FDA at the request of the U.S. Military, 90% of the meds were proven to be fine to take up to 15 years past their expiration. However, the effectiveness of most medications will slowly become obsolete the older they get even when stored in the most ideal conditions.