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I appreciate that as a pharmacy tech, you are bound by your training and professional responsibilities. Many pharmacy chains automatically put a 12 month expiry on all medication they dispense. In 17 states, they are required by law to do so. The problem is, there is no basis in science for such a practise.
Before 1978, the FDA did not require expiry dates on medication. Industry lobbyists argued for 60 months, but the FDA finally drafted legislation that allows each manufacturer to set their own expiries. The most common is 24 months from manufacture. They could put one day, one year, whatever they want. All they must do is pick a date that is within the actual lifespan of the drug, under normal storage conditions. A drug good for a hundred years or more (opiates) could be labelled as expiring in one month. That would be legal.
Now, there are some drugs which do deteriorate. That is without question, but those drugs are well known for these characteristics. Here are the ones I know of:
TegretolŽ (carbemazapine)
nitroglycerin
CoumadinŽ (warfarin)
Procan SRŽ (sustained release procainamide)
Theophylline SR (sustained release theophylline)
LanoxinŽ (digoxin)
thyroid preparations
paraldehyde
oral contraceptives
tetracycline
insulin
epinephrine
liquid antibiotics for IV
So, some hormones, and a few odds and sods. Bottom line, properly stored, meds last indefinitely. A good place is a dresser drawer. Or the fridge, if there's a dessicant in the container. Foil blister packs are superb for preserving meds. Keep 'em dry. Keep 'em dark. Keep 'em cool. But use common sense. If your life depends on the drug, get fresh. If it looks or smells funny, out it goes.
As far as I can tell, there is one case of a toxic reaction to old meds, and that involves one single person developing a reversible kidney disorder from expired tetracycline, in 1966. And even that case is not accepted by some critics. In all other cases (the list I gave) decreased efficacy is the result.
Lar
(toxicologist)
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