# What drugs become dangerous after their expiration date

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-become-dangerous-after-their-expiration-date/829257>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 10, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-become-dangerous-after-their-expiration-date/829257 "2019-02-10T02:10:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-become-dangerous-after-their-expiration-date/829257/21 "2019-02-11T17:41:58Z")

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I routinely discard expired OTC medicine because it’s just easier to replace.

I just looked up the dates on some the other products I sporadically use:

The expiration date on the petroleum jelly was 2010.

The expiration date on the mint mouthwash was September 2004. According to the bottle it is 21.6% alcohol.

The expiration date on the pure cornstarch baby powder is August 2003.

I used a little of each today. They all smelled fine and seem to be as good as the day I bought them.

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**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:** [February 11, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-become-dangerous-after-their-expiration-date/829257/22 "2019-02-11T18:08:27Z")

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Petroleum jelly’s primary medicinal use is as a moisture barrier, so it should be usable as long as it maintains its consistency.

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