otc and prescribed medicine getting a little "dated"

[rockriver]

picked up a "cold." don't know what it is. home tested and not covid.
went digging in the boxes of medicines... this turned into a clean out session.
i hate to throw stuff away, maybe i'm a hoarder.
anyhow, found a cough syrup that had discard date of 30 days after subscription date.. it was a magic formulation. there was separation of the chemicals. trashed.
found some other stuff that was old...checked on internet... advice - it will lose strength but won't be toxic...
ain't going to say what i did.
some penicillin - that wasn't the labeled name- anyhow internet says can go toxic. or some other negative word. i don't want to get sicker from this stuff.

i'm definitely not a medic/doc. don't follow my decisions. may be harmful to your health!
still have some boxes of unopened medicines/vitamins i need to check.

i thought we had a bunch of this and a bunch of that... we didn't or the wife has got it hidden somewhere else...
adding the this and that to the shopping list.

[surviort_wwdnet]

picked up a "cold." don't know what it is. home tested and not covid.
went digging in the boxes of medicines... this turned into a clean out session.
i hate to throw stuff away, maybe i'm a hoarder.
anyhow, found a cough syrup that had discard date of 30 days after subscription date.. it was a magic formulation. there was separation of the chemicals. trashed.
found some other stuff that was old...checked on internet... advice - it will lose strength but won't be toxic...
ain't going to say what i did.
some penicillin - that wasn't the labeled name- anyhow internet says can go toxic. or some other negative word. i don't want to get sicker from this stuff.

i'm definitely not a medic/doc. don't follow my decisions. may be harmful to your health!
still have some boxes of unopened medicines/vitamins i need to check.

i thought we had a bunch of this and a bunch of that... we didn't or the wife has got it hidden somewhere else...
adding the this and that to the shopping list.

We both get an OTC allowance every quarter from our insurance. There's not much in terms of OTC meds and supplies that I don't have lots of. As for Rx meds, I have extra of everything, not horribly old. OTC meds are a good couponing item, and I've seen coupons for them in lots of flyers and magazines, and even inside the outer wrapping the meds come in. Watch for sales and stock up when you can. If I need to buy one of something, I buy two and tuck the second one away. I sorted out all my OTC meds and put them in mini milk crates or single storage drawers, complete with labels saying what could be found in each one. It makes it easy to see if I'm low on anything. That rarely happens, since I usually just replace the one in use as needed with a new one from the store.

Today I added a set of crutches for my husband, who sprained his knee and ankle when his "dead" foot gave out stepping up to the sidewalk. If I can find a decent used wheelchair, I'll get one because my husband and I are both prone to physical injuries because of the activities we take on. I have loads of knee braces, back braces, Ace wraps, plus a leg air splint (hope I never need that one), a minimal surgical kit, and some miscellaneous other supplies.

[Patriotic Sheepdog]

This is not medical advice....however I have taken/used 2-3 year expired Rxs and/or OTC meds without a problem. These have included some antibiotics, pain meds and cold/flu meds. I usually stay away from liquid meds as liquids have a tendency to "look/smell bad" after their expiration date. I have stored meds that are 10+ years old. Would I use them in a SHTF? I would, but would use newer ones first. Do I use expired meds all the time? NO I DON'T! I have used some in the past as I did not want to go store for new meds...

Everyone needs to explore and do what they feel comfortable with. I have an advantage, as I am a medical professional and may know a bit more about meds and illnesses then most on here. I would search the web for info on shelf life of meds (not a google search, but on Brave or Duck duck go) Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy (his wife) has information on this. Here is one source. Do your research and come up with a decision now, before a SHTF moment comes. https://www.doomandbloom.net

[1Admin]

I'll ditto what PSD said and add that I've taken 10 year out of date Abx that still kicked a sinus infection without any trouble.

The really old stuff.... well I guess we will try that on prisoners first LMAO.

[surviort_wwdnet]

I had some Rx from 1990 that I finally tossed - but I still have everything else😉