Damn it, I've been taking expired medicine

[AcousticDoc]

I've been having sleep problems and have been taking Temazepam, a benzodiazepine, to help me sleep. Problem is I didn't realise the medicine expired 9 months ago. What sort of damage have I done to myself? I know taking some exp meds are ok, some just become ineffective but some also become dangerous since their structure can change. do you guys know if I just ****ed myself up?

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[bgreet]

Call a pharmacy and talk to a pharmacist?

 

[Uncle_Tbag]

Prepare for thread lockage and a "this is not a place for medical advice" disclaimer.

 

[fullefect1]

Haha... I major in biology... I should be able to give u advice.

 

[jbrice1639]

if you want to look at it, someone with better organic chem knowledge could probably help you figure out where, if any, that a breakdown would be likely. based on my understanding of medicinal chem, the structure looks pretty stable though...asking a pharmacist is the way to go in this case i think though

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temazepam

 

[AcousticDoc]

Prepare for thread lockage and a "this is not a place for medical advice" disclaimer.

lol yea, I'm just extremely paranoid and don't want to endanger my health. Sorry Admins!

 

[DropkickMurphy]

You're probably doing more damage to your health by being paranoid than by taking expired benzos.

 

[Chinorean]

I've been having sleep problems and have been taking Temazepam, a benzodiazepine, to help me sleep. Problem is I didn't realise the medicine expired 9 months ago. What sort of damage have I done to myself? I know taking some exp meds are ok, some just become ineffective but some also become dangerous since their structure can change. do you guys know if I just ****ed myself up?

Send us a urine sample and we'll analyze it ^_-

If you haven't felt anything by now, you're probably ok. Drink lots of water and avoid other chemicals for a while?

 

[45408]

you're probably fine. most stuff doesn't expire until long after the actual expiration date (although milk and yogurt actually DO expire by those dates )

 

[OSUdoc08]

I've been having sleep problems and have been taking Temazepam, a benzodiazepine, to help me sleep. Problem is I didn't realise the medicine expired 9 months ago. What sort of damage have I done to myself? I know taking some exp meds are ok, some just become ineffective but some also become dangerous since their structure can change. do you guys know if I just ****ed myself up?

At least post this in a forum that physicians frequent and not on the pre-med forum.

This is the absolute WORST place to get medical advice.

If I were you, I'd just GOOGLE it.

 

[erin682]

The expiration date on Rx drugs is a legal one not a chemical one. I'm not saying the you should be taking the benzos but I wouldn't get youself to worked up over it.

 

[Saluki]

I always use expired stuff- meds from my little sister's allergy prescription, sunscreen and vitamins from the dollar store, etc. Unless it's a year overdue, I consider it still good, and I haven't died yet...

 

[BradenDO]

I work at a pharmacy and I've been told the expiration date takes into account exposure to heat and other variables. So, as long as it's been at room temp. it should be okay to take long after the expiration date. ...but that's just my 2 cents...

 

[stoic]

it's probably of little consequnce. afterall, do you REALLY think that one day before the experiration date (which seems to always be exactly 1 year after being filled) the med was fine and then one day after it is ineffective and dangerous?

anything in tablet form is more than likely gonna be pretty stable. clues that a med will actually breakdown: needs to be refigirated and needs to be kept out of light (as both heat and light speed these organic reactions we're so worried about). if there was a significant risk of breakdown causing a truly dangerous compound to form, then the drug would likely not be filled in an amount that would allow you to have extras around or more likely would have to be administered in a clinic or hospital.

a lot of the reason meds come with an expiration date is so people won't keep them and do exactly what you're doing: keep the extra meds and then use them at their discretion for a purpose other than the originally prescribed reason.

be careful with benzos, you can get hooked. especially if they weren't originally prescribed for you... then can you get in trouble with the long arm of the law, too.

 

[DrHans]

The expiration date on Rx drugs is a legal one not a chemical one. I'm not saying the you should be taking the benzos but I wouldn't get youself to worked up over it.

This post struck me as funny b/c usually benzos are also used for anxiety treatment as well

I'm sure you are fine. I have taken some prescriptions up to a year after I had filled them (muscle relaxers and also I have some benzos too - never taken after expiration though, well yet). You're alive, you're kicking ... no worries my friend. Take a benzo and a nap and you'll wake up feeling like money. Additionally, I wouldn't recommend prolonged taking ... if you are having sleep issues, see your doctors, you might find something else works to get your pattern back in order such as a lunesta or ambien. I personally hated temazepam.

 

[LucidSplash]

I work in preclinical toxicology and I can tell you that, more frequently than not, expiration dates on drugs have more to do with stability and efficacy than anything dangerous. That said, if you are really concerned or notice anything weird going on, definitely consult a pharmacist or doctor. One call or visit to a local pharmacy would be your best bet, as pharmacists are usually more up to speed on things like storage conditions and expiration dates/compound degradation than doctors, who know more about drugs from the uses/side effects side. (Before I get shot, both sides know both aspects, it's just more a matter of what each side cares about more in their line of work).

 

[Phil Anthropist]

Prepare for thread lockage and a "this is not a place for medical advice" disclaimer.

Yep. Sorry, no medical advice.

Closing.