# Advice about expiration dates for medications - Plan B specifically **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2025, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719 "2025-07-11T02:06:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/1 "2025-07-11T02:06:24Z")
You are not my doctor and I would never take medical advice from a rando on the internet. But… How long do you think Plan B would be after the expiration date? Would it help to store it in the freezer or would that kill it? I have no need for such a thing, but I live around young females who might. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/2 "2025-07-11T02:42:26Z")
It’s called Plan B for a reason. Do you really want to depend on Plan C? ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/3 "2025-07-11T02:46:14Z")
The issue is that Plan B is on the table now as well. Like I said, I have no use for such a thing and haven’t for many years. This is why I am asking folks who might know more than me. I haven’t risked falling pregnant for over 45 years, I have no clue about this stuff nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/4 "2025-07-11T03:11:33Z")
I’d be on the side of caution, and discard it when the expiration date arrives. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/5 "2025-07-11T03:13:21Z")
I’m glad I only bought a few doses. Out it goes when the time comes. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/6 "2025-07-11T03:22:19Z")
They’re like EpiPens. When you buy them, you hope you DON’T need them. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/7 "2025-07-11T03:25:10Z")
They’re definitely not meant to be Plan A! When the hospital I worked at got it for the emergency room, our director called a pharmacists’ meeting and wanted to know if there were any (his words) conscientious objectors. He didn’t need to know then, but one person did speak up, a woman whose job duties were such, it would be unlikely she would have handled it anyway. Another pharmacist said he sometimes did relief work in a college town an hour’s drive away, and he said that the Planned Parenthood there would write prescriptions for Plan B with 11 refills, and he was really uncomfortable with that. (No, they didn’t require a prescription for purchase, but they did for insurance coverage.) I do know that Plan B is very expensive, and often makes women really sick for a day or two afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/8 "2025-07-11T03:31:51Z")
And here is the problem. Plan B is not an abortion pill. It will do nothing if a woman is already pregnant. It is for women who have unprotected sex and is only effective a short time later. No babies will be harmed, but one of her ova will not implant THAT month. The local woman’s shelter closed a month or so ago, or I’d just donate them. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/9 "2025-07-11T04:18:06Z")
> Plan B has a shelf life of four years. For the exact month and year that the Plan B is set to expire, you can refer to the information printed on the side of the box. Store the product at room temperature between 68‑ and 77‑degrees Fahrenheit. > **[Plan B FAQs | Plan B One-Step®](https://www.planbonestep.com/faqs/)** > > Everything you need to know about Plan B in one place. Get answers to your emergency contraception questions here. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/10 "2025-07-11T05:39:50Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I do know that Plan B is very expensive, When it was first being sold over the counter, I remember paying $30 (at least 16 years ago). Today it starts around $10 ($5.50 on Amazon for Prime Day) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/11 "2025-07-11T05:57:48Z")
Years ago the U.S. Army found itself with lots of expired medication. To avoid waste, they conducted a study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of expired medications. This ultimately led to the [Shelf Life Extension Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelf_Life_Extension_Program) (SLEP). In short, they found that the majority of tested medications, especially those in hard tablet form (as opposed to capsules or liquids), were safe and effective for _years_ past their expiration dates, especially if they were stored under ideal conditions. A 2006 study found that two-thirds of 122 medications tested through SLEP remained effective for an average of at least four additional years. Plan B comes in hard tablet form. I would have no hesitation in recommending that someone take it even if it is past the expiration date. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/12 "2025-07-11T14:19:37Z")
Thank you for that answer, that really was my question. As it happens, I was asking a local friend what she thought I should do and she told me that she would give them to her very LGBT preacher because he keeps that sort of thing handy for anyone who asks. I’ll go and have a talk with him this afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/13 "2025-07-14T01:33:35Z")
It comes down to data. The product was tested repeatedly for literally _years_ (and ongoing batch testing happens for product that have been sold) and the data supports the package expiration date. There is hard science and reams of test results to back that up; this drug product with x mg of ingredient has not degraded and still has x mg and no toxic impurities and has been shown to dissolve in stomach acid in exactly the same timeframe as the day it was made after being stored at Y conditions for Z years. Enormous amounts of tediously obtained, documented and audited data. What you don’t have is any data for Z years + 1 day and you certainly have nothing for Z years + 6 months, or more… Obviously drugs aren’t a time bomb. Things don’t suddenly change from ok to not ok. There’s just literally no data to consistently say “yeah it’s good for a week more, a month more, a year more…” for every batch of every product made by every production line etc etc. It’s a pure unknown when something begins to lose efficacy. If costs and access aren’t a concern, it’s probably best to only purchase what you think you might use, and to replace when expiration dates come around. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/14 "2025-07-14T01:45:53Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > If costs and access aren’t a concern, it’s probably best to only purchase what you think you might use, and to replace when expiration dates come around. Access is threatened in red states which is why I was looking at long term storage. But, thank you for all of the excellent info, it is appreciated. For the record, this all worked out very well. The preacher’s side gig is collecting up monthly supplies for homeless women, which is a cause I can get behind as well. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/15 "2025-07-14T02:05:04Z")
To add to that, assuming it’s a hard tablet, your instincts on storing it in a freezer are correct. Lower temperatures will almost certainly slow down any degradation that might occur. Just make sure it’s well sealed to prevent ice getting in. And even if you don’t store it in a freezer, keeping it away from light is a good idea anyway - the UV radiation can cause some chemicals to degrade. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-about-expiration-dates-for-medications-plan-b-specifically/1020719/16 "2025-07-14T14:47:55Z")
From my days in pharmaceutical development, as a rule of thumb, a storage temperature reduction of 10C will approximately double shelf life. So sticking it in the fridge should approximately double _that part of the shelf life which remains_. So if you have _two years of shelf life left_, that’s what you would be doubling. Obviously it would be better just to replace at end of shelf life, but if you can’t do so this is probably your best work around. (The reason this isn’t done commercially is that fridge storage is expensive. Also… > [@robby](#): > > A 2006 study found that two-thirds of 122 medications tested through SLEP remained effective for an average of at least four additional years. …with the result that package information would be a further four years out of date, and newly identified, potentially significant adverse reactions would be missing. This is the reason that regulatory authorities don’t grant shelf lives of six or seven years, irrespective of how stable the medication is.) j