Expired Meds

[Almost2late]

I've been taking expired medication😳.. My triumeq is 9 months old, and I didn't realize it till I was halfway done. I've read that medcations lose about 30% of their potency a year after their expiration date.. does anyone know how well HIV meds fare after expiration date? Has this happened to anyone?

[Jim Allen]

I've taken triumeq about a month post expiry date but that's about it. I had a years supply and I made the mistake of placing at some stage an older bottle behind the newer ones ...

Off hand I don't know how quickly the components loose their potency post expiry.

[Grasshopper]

Perhaps reading THIS might help answering your question :

"It turns out that the expiration date on a drug does stand for something, but probably not what you think it does. "

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/is-it-ok-to-use-medications-past-their-expiration-dates

[Almost2late]

Thank you Jim and Grasshopper for the responses.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything

And this link was extremely helpful.
 
Knowing that many medications can last 15 years past expiration dates, coupled with no stories (that I know of) of PLWH becoming drug resistant, or elevated viral load due to old expired cArt.. I don't think I'm going to have any issues.

I do keep my supply in a cool, dark and dry place, in exp. date order.. I just wasn't thinking of the here and now.
I guess this is the downside stockpiling our meds, like squirrels preparing for winter.

[Grasshopper]

Thank you Jim and Grasshopper for the responses.

And this link was extremely helpful.
 
Knowing that many medications can last 15 years past expiration dates, coupled with no stories (that I know of) of PLWH becoming drug resistant, or elevated viral load due to old expired cArt.. I don't think I'm going to have any issues.

I do keep my supply in a cool, dark and dry place, in exp. date order.. I just wasn't thinking of the here and now.
I guess this is the downside stockpiling our meds, like squirrels preparing for winter.

But DO keep this in mind :

"So, the expiration date doesn't really indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe to use. Medical authorities state if expired medicine is safe to take, even those that expired years ago. A rare exception to this may be tetracycline, but the report on this is controversial among researchers. It's true the effectiveness of a drug may decrease over time, but much of the original potency still remains even a decade after the expiration date. Excluding nitroglycerin, insulin, and liquid antibiotics, most medications are as long-lasting as the ones tested by the military. Placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, will help a drug remain potent for many years."