Prescriptions on hand and expirations

[shadesofbay3]

hey all

for those of you that keep prescription meds on hand … do you go through them every now and then and check the expiration dates and replace the expired ones or am i being over the top by doing this? sometimes i feel like i create more work for myself

[ParadoxFarm]

Now, I don’t recall WHICH prescriptions I had on hand at the time, but we asked our vet about use after the expiration date, and she said that they are safe, they will just lose some effectiveness as they age.

[Demerara_Stables]

I don’t go through them and replace them because I figure if I haven’t used them and they’ve expired I probably shouldn’t throw money away by buying them again.

That said, I do take note of the expiration dates and may or may not use them depending on how expired they are. I’ve heard the same as @ParadoxFarm that they just lose effectiveness. I probably won’t bother using them if they’re over a year expired.

Caveat - I do have a lot of horsey neighbors and a small number of horses at home, so 1) it’s rare (knock wood) that I need anything, and 2) if I need something overnight/on the weekend and I’m not calling the vet out, I can usually get what I need from next door.

[trubandloki]

I do note that any left over prescription meds I might have on hand have expired and get rid of them appropriately.

I keep Banamine and a small amount of bute on hand for my horse(s) and every spring when the vet is out doing maintenance stuff I replace anything that is outdated. Both meds I am happy to have paid for and not have had a use for before they expire.

Dog and cat stuff, other than buying a full years worth of heartworm/flea stuff at a time, the only prescription meds I have for them are things that are used and replaced as they are used up.

I have no human drugs that I can see replacing once they expire. I can not imagine being able to replace them, even. Will the doctor write a script just so you can have it on hand (not talking epi pens or such here, clearly those are needed to have on hand).

[exvet]

OK so I am a vet but I do keep medications at home for my dogs and horses that I use when needed including sedatives, tranquilizers et al. I do go through and check for expirations dates on ANYTHING I administer IV, anything that has experienced high high exposure or has frozen. I live in the higher elevations in Arizona so either is possible though I do have a refrigerator at the barn to try to prevent some of the ‘extreme’ exposures limited. I have and will use expired oral medications of some types but within reason (like only a year or less past the expiration date).