Aristo! Aristo! A la lanterne!: Shelf life of meds.... ?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Shelf life of meds.... ?

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Back in 2008 I was injured. It might have been the time I tried to cut my finger tip off, but I'm not sure. I honestly don't recall.

The thing is, the doc scripted Vicodin, and said I was going to need it.

I didn't. I'm not a fan of heavy pain killers that leave me wobbly, and it's very seldom indeed I'll take anything like that. All depends on the injury I guess, since I certainly took a few days worth of Percocets when I tried to gut my hand with a sawzall.

Anywho.... I have this bottle of Vicodin that's been sitting in my safe since 2008 (ever since the doc said they were worth $20 each on the street so be careful with them). I figured maybe some day I would have a pain that big, although it hasn't happened yet.

My question.... how long are they good for? Not the estimate put forth by the company that wants everything tossed so they can sell you more.... but in reality. How long do they stay effective? Do they ever turn toxic? Should I flush them or leave them in the safe a few more years?

3 comments:

Windy Wilson said...: I had 20 Percodan in 1979 for my wisdom teeth extraction. I held onto them for 5 years "just in case" some other need arose. I flushed them, not because I thought they were bad, but because I didn't want them around anymore. To my knowledge pills like the ones you have don't turn toxic, but the potency may decrease unpredictably.; July 10, 2012 at 5:24 PM
Peter said...: If meds are kept in a cool, dry place, away from excessive sunlight, they can last 5-10 years easily. I'd be leery of them after 10 years, but not because they'd be toxic - only because their effectiveness might be diminished. I'd say a 10-year shelf life for tablets is perfectly achievable.; July 10, 2012 at 10:41 PM
og said...: The opiates and opiate synthetics tend to not deteriorate as long as they're kept cool and I think dark. The meds you have to worry about deteriorating are antibiotics- most of the pain stuff works at a molecular level and not a biological level. I know people still using opiates that are forty years old with all the same pain killing properties as the new stuff. Vicodin (Paracetemol) is a mixture of the hydrocodone and acetaminophen. More likely the acetaminophen will lose it's potency than the hydrocodone.; July 11, 2012 at 12:28 PM

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Robert Heinlein

"Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.

But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants "just a few minutes of your time, please — this won't take long." Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time — and squawk for more!
So learn to say No — and to be rude about it when necessary.
Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you.

(This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don't do it because it is "expected" of you.)"