# Does a prescription expire? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186 "2012-04-27T22:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/1 "2012-04-27T22:26:57Z")
Not the written prescription and not the drugs themselves. If a doctor prescribes something for me, is it mine to take forever? Eg: Suppose my doc prescribes something for pain because I broke my leg. If I don’t use all of the pills, would it be legal for me to take them a year later if I had a bad headache? I realize that it’s not a good idea, I’m just interested in the legalities. The question came up in the context of company drug testing. A co-worker (no, really) believes that anything that the drug test uncovers is OK as long as you have a prescription bottle for it, even if it was filled years ago. I’m not so sure. Don’t need answer fast. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/2 "2012-04-27T22:40:18Z")
No. My prescriptions are only good for a year after they’re written. If you need to continue the drug, the doctor needs to write a new one. You could keep old bottles of drugs, of course, but I wouldn’t count on it keeping out of trouble if you failed a drug test. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/3 "2012-04-27T23:34:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > No. My prescriptions are only good for a year after they’re written. If you need to continue the drug, the doctor needs to write a new one. > > You could keep old bottles of drugs, of course, but I wouldn’t count on it keeping out of trouble if you failed a drug test. Cite? Assuming the the prescription is made out to you? Prescriptions run out partly due to concerns about efficacy, and partly due to the desire to sell more pills. My wife, who knows more about this than I do, says that many drugs are effective well past their expiration date - which is usually a year no matter what type of drug it is. And clearly drugs which are not illegal have the same expiration dates as drugs which might get you into trouble. In any case, keeping drugs around over a year without using them is not usually a sign of an addiction problem. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/4 "2012-04-27T23:37:49Z")
Probably varies by state and the drug prescribed. In California, _since January 1, 2004, prescriptions for all controlled substances (Schedules II–V) are valid for 6months from the date written_. (from [http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov](http://www.pharmacy.ca.gov)) I don’t know whether possessing the drug after that time is legal or not, it doesn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/5 "2012-04-27T23:58:03Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > In any case, keeping drugs around over a year without using them is not usually a sign of an addiction problem. Just because you possess a bottle of Lortabs with a prescription label made out to you is not proof that the Lortabs inside are the ones that the pharmacist put in the bottle. The bottle could have been refilled with illegally aquired Lortabs many, many times. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/6 "2012-04-28T01:21:38Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > The question came up in the context of company drug testing. A co-worker (no, really) believes that anything that the drug test uncovers is OK as long as you have a prescription bottle for it, even if it was filled years ago. I’m not so sure. Since it’s a company drug test, it’s company policy, more than the law, that your friend needs to worry about. [In 30 states it’s legal for your employer to fire you if you smoke](http://www.cohenmilstein.com/investigation_smokers.php)– not just if you’re smoking at work, but you smoke at all. Yet cigarets are legal. My son was randomly tested after an athletic competition. Before the actual test, he told them that he had a prescription for Ritalin and had followed the competition guidelines. But he tested positive for amphetamines, probably because he hadn’t eaten or drunk much to keep his weight down. After protracted discussions, he accepted disqualification from the meet and a short suspension (during a time when there was no competition scheduled.) So simply waving a prescription isn’t necessarily going to protect you. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/7 "2012-04-30T12:48:51Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > My son was randomly tested after an athletic competition. Before the actual test, he told them that he had a prescription for Ritalin and had followed the competition guidelines. But he tested positive for amphetamines, probably because he hadn’t eaten or drunk much to keep his weight down. After protracted discussions, he accepted disqualification from the meet and a short suspension (during a time when there was no competition scheduled.) So simply waving a prescription isn’t necessarily going to protect you. Ritalin is not the same as amphetamines. It won’t cause a positive test for amphetamines. Ritalin is very, very rarely tested for. [http://www.erowid.org/pharms/methylphenidate/methylphenidate\_testing.shtml](http://www.erowid.org/pharms/methylphenidate/methylphenidate_testing.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/8 "2012-04-30T13:04:01Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > Ritalin is not the same as amphetamines. It won’t cause a positive test for amphetamines. Ritalin is very, very rarely tested for. > > [http://www.erowid.org/pharms/methylphenidate/methylphenidate\_testing.shtml](http://www.erowid.org/pharms/methylphenidate/methylphenidate_testing.shtml) I’m pretty sure \*\*kunilu \*\*meant [Adderall](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000166/). With all the medication changes most ADHD kids get put through, it can be hard to keep track! ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/9 "2012-04-30T13:11:32Z")
I was under the impression that the law required a patient to take prescription medicine “as directed” or not at all. Now, if you are feeling anxious, so you take 2 xanaxs instead of the 1 the doctor prescribed, I don’t think the feds will be breaking down your door. But if he gives you 30 for a 30 day supply, and you take 10 at once, I can’t imagine that being legal. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/10 "2012-04-30T13:16:52Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I’m pretty sure \*\*kunilu \*\*meant [Adderall](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000166/). With all the medication changes most ADHD kids get put through, it can be hard to keep track! If that is the case, why did he get disqualified? There are baseball players who use Adderall for “medical conditions”, why would a kid be disqualified? > **[EXCLUSIVE: Adderall Rage! Baseball's New Drug Scandal Detailed In Player's...](https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/03/exclusive-adderall-rage-baseballs-new-drug-scandal-detailed-players-divorce/)** > > The steroid era nearly ruined professional baseball after teams and officials ignored the obvious signs for years. And now a new drug scandal is engulfing the ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/11 "2012-04-30T13:18:56Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > If that is the case, why did he get disqualified? There are baseball players who use Adderall for “medical conditions”, why would a kid be disqualified? > > [EXCLUSIVE: Adderall Rage! Baseball's New Drug Scandal Detailed In Player's Divorce Papers](http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/03/exclusive-adderall-rage-baseballs-new-drug-scandal-detailed-players-divorce) Because they operate under a different set of rules? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/12 "2012-04-30T13:30:42Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > If that is the case, why did he get disqualified? There are baseball players who use Adderall for “medical conditions”, why would a kid be disqualified? > > [EXCLUSIVE: Adderall Rage! Baseball's New Drug Scandal Detailed In Player's Divorce Papers](http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/03/exclusive-adderall-rage-baseballs-new-drug-scandal-detailed-players-divorce) Why do you care so much? Maybe the kid forgot which med he was on and told them Ritalin and came up positive for Adderall. Maybe the person he told he was on Adderall forgot to check the right check box. Maybe his high school has a poorly written Zero Tolerance policy. Maybe he \*is \*on Ritalin and is secretly snorting crystal meth during his study hall and his parents don’t know. Could be any of myriad reasons. It’s not remotely a far out there situation. I like your username, by the way. Seems apt. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/13 "2012-04-30T13:41:11Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Why do you care so much? > > Maybe the kid forgot which med he was on and told them Ritalin and came up positive for Adderall. I care because it seems crazy to disqualify a kid from competing, on the basis of the meds he takes. I’d like to hear the facts. > [@WhyNot](#): > > I like your username, by the way. Seems apt. I not sure what I said to cheese you off, but insults aren’t helping whatever point you are trying to make. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/14 "2012-04-30T15:36:18Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I like your username, by the way. Seems apt. **Moderator Note** **WhyNot** , insults are not permitted in GQ. Do not do this again. No warning issued. > [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > I not sure what I said to cheese you off, but insults aren’t helping whatever point you are trying to make. Well, after all you chose an insulting username for yourself. If you are going to take offense when people reference it, you might consider changing it. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/15 "2012-04-30T15:46:00Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > Well, after all you chose an insulting username for yourself. If you are going to take offense when people reference it, you might consider changing it. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator I never suggested I was offended. Nor have I reported the several times this lame joke has been used. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/16 "2012-04-30T16:39:07Z")
_hug_ ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/17 "2012-04-30T16:50:53Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > _hug_ We should start a support group. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/18 "2012-04-30T16:55:03Z")
I know, right? The OP doesn’t give his location, but in the US it varies by state, typically from 6 months to a year. It’s 1 year here in Florida, or six months for Schedule II drugs. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/19 "2012-04-30T17:16:25Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Since it’s a company drug test, it’s company policy, more than the law, that your friend needs to worry about. [In 30 states it’s legal for your employer to fire you if you smoke](http://www.cohenmilstein.com/investigation_smokers.php)– not just if you’re smoking at work, but you smoke at all. Yet cigarets are legal. I think you have this backwards: > [@](#): > > [In 30 states and the District of Columbia, state law makes it **illegal** for companies to impose smoking bans on their employees **when they are off duty**. In addition, the federal employee benefits law, ERISA, prevents employers from discriminating against and/or firing employees, here smokers, to interfere with the attainment of any right under a benefit plan, here the right to health benefits.](http://www.cohenmilstein.com/investigation_smokers.php) (bolding mine) IOW, in _twenty_ states you can be fired, etc… ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-prescription-expire/620186/20 "2012-04-30T22:03:55Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > **WhyNot** , insults are not permitted in GQ. Do not do this again. No warning issued. Duly noted.