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Article: Ask Dr. Leipzig.
- Article from:
- Focus on Healthy Aging
- Article date:
- October 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Is it safe to take medications after the expiration date?
You probably have at least one medication languishing in your medicine cabinet with a "Use by June 1999," or an even earlier date on the box. If that expired medicine happens to be your only bottle of pain reliever when you have a terrible headache, should you take it? By law, drug manufacturers have to include an expiration date--the date by which the company guarantees the full strength and safety of the medicine. Several years ago, when the military commissioned a study of about 100 prescription and over-the-counter drugs, researchers found that the majority of the drugs were safe to use a full 15 years ...