Is expired OTC medicine bad to take?

My parents have grown up on this idea that medicine never really does go bad, and continues to take it no matter how old it is.

I have always had a different view on the matter, I don't like taking expired medication if I can help it, but does it really matter? From what I've read online, expired meds only lose their potency over time...?

I've been taking 6-month old expired Bayer to relieve some head pains I've been experiencing (I may need some psychiatric medication instead), but am wondering if this is actually harming my body rather than helping.

It varies from drug to drug, but with proper storage you can use OTC medicines after they expire. The expiration dates are not exactly arbitrary, but they don't keep the pills around for say two or three years and test them. They use heat, humidity, and light to quickly simulate months of storage.

Very few medications degrade to toxic substances. Mostly a few of the antibiotics. For most meds they just go weaker and weaker. Also most meds are as good as new six months expired but that of course varies from med to med, type of tablet/capsule/drink and previous post, storage.

thanks for the comments!

so.. is it safe to assume that expired OTC meds are still good to take as long as they have been stored in a room anywhere between 60-80'F temperatures?

how expired is too expired? 1 year? 2 years? I am obviously thinking worst case scenario, I still don't like the idea of taking expired meds if I can help it. The bottle of Bayer I mentioned has practically gone unused, and is rather difficult to throw away.

I suggest you ask your pharmacist these questions!

It might be good to ask specifically about the drug you are asking about. Bayer is a brand name and I am assuming you mean aspirin. I think that if you keep it in a cool, dry place we will expire before it truly does.

It won't harm you it just may/may not be as effective. Chemicals have "half lives" and some are longer than others. I just finished a 7 year old cough medicine (it was prescription which gave it a year's use) that worked fine for what I needed. Give your favorite/old OTC a try and it will work or not which will tell you you need a new one or not. I usually throw out the old stuff because it is old because I didn't like it for some reason so didn't use much of it; the stuff I "like" I tend to use and need to buy more of, etc.