Medication Mishaps

Ever smelled the milk to see if it’s soured, despite the expiration date? Don’t make the same mistake with medicine.

Expired means expired, says Reneé W. Acosta, clinical associate professor at The University of Texas College of Pharmacy. Regularly cleaning out the medicine cabinet may or may not be part of your household chores, but it should be.

“Is there something magic that happens the day after [medicine] expires?” Acosta says. No, but what’s on the bottle should be what consumers follow, she says, because that timeframe is what drug-maker studies show will maintain potency.

The expiration date is just one reason to take inventory of meds kept on hand. Protect your household—and yourself—from medicines getting degraded, interacting with other drugs, or getting misused.

1. Humidity

If you keep medicine in the bathroom, near the shower, stop. “Humidity is not good,” Acosta says, noting it can degrade certain medications. “I keep mine in the kitchen above the microwave.”

She recommends using a less humid area of the home, and reminds parents to inquire where friends and family keep medications when you visit in order to protect little ones.

2. Pill poppers and syrup sippers

Responsible parents take advantage of childproof caps on pill and medicine bottles, of course. But what about guarding your medicine cabinet from drug abusers?

According to a 2012 Monitoring the Future survey, prescription and over-the-counter drugs are among the most commonly abused drugs by 12th graders, after alcohol, marijuana, synthetic marijuana—known as “Spice,” and tobacco, reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The survey said that 50 percent of high school seniors reported that opioid drugs other than heroin, such as Vicodin, would be fairly or very easy to get. In fact, most teens and young adults obtain prescription drugs they abuse from friends and relatives, sometimes without their knowledge, says NIDA.

You don’t want to believe your own teen or their friends may sneak into your medicine cabinet, but keep your meds out of reach from abusers of all ages.

Acosta warns about abuse of cold syrups, such as Nyquil, by teens too. Containing dextromethorphan, which in excess can act as a kind of hallucinogen, these over-the-counter syrups get used sporadically, so parents may not notice that a once-full bottle is almost empty the next time cold season comes around.

3. Half-baked sunscreen

“Sunscreens have expiration dates,” Acosta says.“A lot of people are surprised by that.” The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says that the FDA regulations require that sunscreen remain at full potency for 3 years. If your purchase doesn’t have an expiration date printed on it, write it on there with permanent marker and keep tabs on it as time goes by.

“We don’t use sunscreen as it’s directed,” warns Acosta. “Turn the bottle over and see how often you should apply. We should be using a lot more sunscreen than we do, if we’re looking to get the protection we’re expecting.”

The AAD points out that if you regularly use sunscreen, you shouldn’t have too many full bottles left over.

4. Dangerously outdated drugs

Acosta warns that while there could be a loss of potency to expired drugs, some may actually become harmful — aspirin, for instance, if it has a vinegar smell, and tetracycline, an oral antibiotic that can be dangerous if used after expired.

5. Recalled Rx

Check FDA.gov for recalled medications and other medication safety tips. And sign up to receive a newsletter with regular notices of recalls and warnings from the FDA.

6. Teething gel reactions

Who knew numbing medicine for tooth and gum pain could lead to serious health complications, even death? The FDA warns that benzocaine, an active ingredient in gels such as Orajel and Anbesol, can cause a condition called methemoglobinemia — which makes red blood cells unable to carry oxygen. Warning labels about this condition aren’t required on teething medications. But the FDA says that parents of children under age 2, who often use such gels for teething pain, should only do so under direction of a doctor. And it warns that everyone should be aware of signs of the problem: pale or blue lips, skin, nail beds, shortness of breath, headache, and tachycardia — or racing of the heart.

7. Heavy-handed dosages

People think, “If one tablet is good, two is better,” Acosta says. Or they think that every three hours is close enough to the “every four hours” instructions printed on the label. Take medicine “per the directions on the packaging. Don’t take too much or too little,” she says.

Because many similar drugs have the same active ingredients, you can take too much without realizing it. Acosta gives this example: Getting pain medication at the dentist for a procedure, taking headache medication that evening for a headache and another headache-related dose the next morning can make it easy to get more than the 4 gram limit within 24 hours for acetaminophen.

You should monitor all drugs you’re taking and ask your doctor how they may interact.