The Dangers Of Expired Medicines

The expiry date of a product indicates that the product is not fit for use anymore. A major drawback in the pharmaceutical industry is selling and reselling of expired medicines due to their cost implications, and the unawareness of the people using them.

Why the expiry date is important

Federal law states that expiration is date is mandatory for drug manufactures on all medicines. The date and tenure differ from medicine to medicine. This is one of the major reasons why expiry dates are a must to prevent incidents. Using these products beyond the tenure of expiry when it is partially potent might cause potential harm to one’s health.

What consequences does an expired drug bring?

The physiochemical nature of the drug reacts differently to different environmental and storage conditions. Post the expiry date these physiochemical characteristics cannot be relied upon. The degradation levels of the chemicals present in these drugs cannot be predicted or controlled post their expiration date. A few drugs become more toxic after expiration, causing damage to the renal tube. Body creams and other creams are found to crack past their expiration dates. This crack signifies segregation of their chemical composition. This results in uneven delivery of the ingredients that the cream should deliver which will affect the conditions like acne and may even result in itching and scathing.

When it comes to medicines, health and safety become critical points of scrutiny. Medicines, as ubiquitous as they are, have to be carefully examined before ingestion or application. Spreading awareness about these facts is absolutely vital in the community for collective health and peace of mind.