I have a full 30 day course of erythromycin that I never took. It was prescribed for acne but never used. It is one year past the “throw away date.”
Well, my skin is broken out right now so I have started the 30 day course. I have checked on WEBMD and on MEDICINE CHEST(a University of Kansas news letter) and both sites don’t seem too worry about expired medicine being dangerous, just not as potent as when first sold. The MEDICINE CHEST did say this
"WILL AN OUTDATED DRUG HURT YOU? PROBABLY NOT. EXCEPT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF KIDNEY PROBLEMS AMONG SOME PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE ANTIBIOTIC TETRACYLINE AFTER IT HAD GONE BAD, OUTDATED MEDICINE HASN’T REALLY POSED MAJOR HEALTH RISKS. "
With the widespread belief that outdated meds are dangerous, I wanted to hit the SDMB to see if any medical dopers know anything specific about erythromycin when used past it’s prime. Since I’m only using it for acne, and not any life threatening brain infection, I don’t see much danger in lost potency.
I’m an RN and the med book I use for work says to discard any unused portion of erythromycin after 10 days. Giving the variety in absorbtion rates in differing antibiotics in different forms in different people I’d worry a lot more about accidental overdose than about its loss of potency. Some formulations contain preservatives----is this Benzamycin you’re supposed to be taking?
Last word: Don’t.
Why not: Why take it if it’s lost potency and might be absorbed in an inconsistant way.
Do you mean to say it may have the potency as when new but may hit the blood faster than it should? If so, will taking the prescribed amount still present a risk of overdose?
I suspect that what billy actually wants is for someone here to say “Go ahead and take those antibiotics.” Else, why not just call up Dr. Dermatologist that gave the script in the first place with this question?
Call your doctor, or your pharmacist, billy.
You know what they’re going to say, right?
That’s true to a point. If that’s all I wanted though, I would have stopped at reading WEBMD or the MEDICINE CHEST. My follow up question came about as a result of actually wanting to understand what the RN told me. I had two conflicting bits of info, and this being to place to fight ignorance at all, seemed like I could ask a follow up question or two.
So, my questions still stand, would “inconsistant” absorbing recreate an overdose situation even when taking the prescribed dose?? And why again?? becuase it wasn’t totally clear to me.