Experts Share Tips On How To Get Rid Of Expired Medications

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- If you look in the medicine cabinet, chances are you will find some expired medications.

How do you know if your medicine is past its prime? Everything from prescription pills to over-the-counter pain killers and lotions are stamped with a use by date.

Since the 1970s, the Food and Drug Administration has required medications to have expiration dates. They can be found in small print on bottles and packages of drugs.

Do these dates really matter? Experts say yes.

Take it or toss it?

"Absolutely toss it," says Dr. Lucas Berenbrok, a pharmacist from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. "It's not a good idea to take any medications that are expired based on the manufacturer's recommendations and that's true for prescription and over the counter medications."

Berenbrok says consumers should be evaluating their medicine cabinets once or twice a year -- looking for expired medications.

Experts say taking an expired ibuprofen for a headache is not going to harm you, but heart pills past their prime -- that's a different story. Expired medication can lose its effectiveness.

"It might not work as well to control your blood pressure or if you have diabetes not work as well to control your blood sugar. That's where it can cause harm because you are not getting the perceived benefits it should have," cautions Berenbrok.

Whether it's life-saving medicine or over the counter pain relievers, experts say you should dispose of expired medications -- either with a take back program through your local hospital or pharmacy --or you can toss them in the trash, but the FDA says take precautions if you do that:

-Get the medication out of its original container and mix it with an undesirable substance like coffee grounds or kitty litter.

-The FDA says controlled substances can be flushed down the toilet.

For more information, visit: FDA.gov or DEA.gov.

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