# Expiration date on medications **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 1, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454 "2003-03-01T21:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454/1 "2003-03-01T21:35:52Z")
I have a bottle of ibuprofen tablets. The expiration date is this coming September. I don’t really use them often. I can count how fast I go through them, actually-- I only need them one day out of every month reliably, and I don’t get headaches or hung over or anything the rest of the time. What happens to stuff like ibuprofen and acetominophen after the expiry date is past? How sick would they make me if I used them? ---
**Author:** ![desertrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@desertrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desertrat)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454/2 "2003-03-01T21:43:42Z")
They won’t make you sick, they will just lose their effectiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454/3 "2003-03-01T21:55:29Z")
[Here](http://armypharmacy.org/new_web/Perles/Perle076.htm) is some good information on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Yeah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/dbc845/32.png) [@Yeah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeah)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454/4 "2003-03-02T16:20:00Z")
Or you can search General Questions for “drugs expiration” and find that this same question has been asked and answered five times already. ---
**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454/5 "2003-03-03T00:58:43Z")
I put the keyword ‘expiration’ into the search engine, and nothing came up, so meh. 😉 And thanks. ---
**Author:** ![j.c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@j.c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.c)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454/6 "2003-03-03T05:09:23Z")
The story involves a different class of dugs… yet may be helpful. Once upon a time, I had allergies like a mother---- and had to go to an event. My only decongestants were a mere six months out of date and had spent their entire life in the light-free, air-conditioned joy of the bathroom medicine cabinet so I took one. **Got high. Really HIGH.** I used to do drugs, so I know what I’m talking about. Went to event. A friend, a responsible suburban housewife was there. Her first words to me: Lordy! I took some expired decongestants and I am flying! My advice, despite what the link says, is don’t risk it. Oh, and if you can, take aspirin instead of ibuprofen. Unless you live like a Mormon or my wholesome housewife friend, it’s not advisable to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Unless you have ulcers or take some drug that thins your blood or have a bad reaction to aspirin for general aches and pains. ---
**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-date-on-medications/158454/7 "2003-03-03T15:03:21Z")
Funny, aspirin and acetaminophen were the ones I was warned against… they say people under 25 or so shouldn’t take aspirin because of Reyes’ syndrome, and acetaminophen is hard on your kidneys.