How your out-of-date ‘corpse medicines’ can harm your health – from nasty infections to tummy bugs

IT’S happened… you’ve woken up with a nasty cough, having thought you’d dodged the bugs doing the rounds this Christmas.

After turning your home upside down, you finally find a crusty-looking bottle of cough medicine at the back of a cupboard.

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But when you check the packaging, you notice it’s two years past its expiration date. 

Should you take a spoonful or not?

It’s a dilemma that’s hitting more of us than ever.

According to a survey by Health Watch last year, one in 10 Brits avoid buying over-the-counter medicines due to the cost of living crisis.

And more of us are holding on to what we have for longer ‘just in case’.

One in three consumers keep medicines past their expiry because they might still be useful, according to another survey of 2,000 people by One Poll. 

So how dangerous is it to be a healthcare hoarder?

Do medicines really go off?

More than four in 10 of us don’t check the expiration date on items we get from the pharmacy, either over the counter or on prescription, according to research.

Most of us assume that if they are still in their packet, we’re safe to take them.

But if you look carefully, every item you get from the chemist has an expiration date that shows when the drug should be used by.

On most, it’s about two to three years.

Though these may look like a way for drug companies to get you to buy more, NHS pharmacists stress it really is important to stick to them.

Community pharmacist Sultan Dajani, a former pharmacist of the year, warns taking expired medicines past that point is like playing ‘Russian roulette’ with your health.

“Just as food can go off, medicines also deteriorate. Instead of healing, they can harm,” he said.

“For example, out of date paracetamol could affect your liver quite badly, causing nausea or vomiting.

“Other side effects of using out of date drugs or ointments can include diarrhoea, drowsiness, and wound or eye infections getting worse.”

Do old medicines stop working?

Even if they do you no harm, medicines kept for longer than the expiry date will stop doing what they promise on the packet.

This is because over time, the active ingredients – or the main chemicals that act on your body – become less potent.

It means medicines can no longer be guaranteed to do what they were designed for.

For example, tablets may not dissolve as well, they may not break down in the right places in your body, or get absorbed properly.

Over time, heat and moisture can also make pills go soft, swell up or decompose, changing how the ingredients work inside you.

Soft capsules, made with gelatin, can even attract bacteria or fungi, even when kept stored in bottles, giving you stomach upsets.

Got a cut and need to apply an antiseptic cream?

After their expiry date – usually three months – these also separate, and the preservatives stop working.

This means they can grow fungus or get contaminated with bacteria, which can infect the wound.

Expert pharmacist Sultan, who is based in Hampshire, refers to them as ‘corpse medicines’.

“After the expiration date, old medicines will either do nothing at all, or in the worst-case scenario, make you ill,” he said.

So how can I tell if my medicine has gone off?  

Ever seen loads of gunk and sticky stuff around the neck of a cough or indigestion medicine bottle – but still poured a spoonful anyway?

Stop. Even if it hasn’t hit its expiry date, it’s still time to throw it out.

That gunge is a sign some of the liquid has evaporated when it got exposed to the air.

Look out any other changes, like it’s gone thick and gloopy, it’s separated, or smells differently.

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How to really save money on medicines 

1. Save cash with sachets

So, is there any packaging you can buy to help your medicines last longer – and save you a bit of cash? 

For one thing, you can look out for pills in blister packs.

These tend to protect medicines better because the contents are only exposed to air when you actually break them out.

Now it’s winter, you can also save cash by opting for cough and cold remedies that come as powders in sachets which you mix up with water – as long as you store them properly in a dry, dark place. 

2. Check the ‘secret’ nine-digit code on the packet

There can be a big difference in cost between branded medicines, like painkillers, and brand name products. 

To find out if they are actually the same thing, look out for the nine number Product Licence on the side. 

If these are the same, they are the same medicine. 

So compare and opt for the one that costs less.

3. Sign up for a loyalty card

Lots of pharmacies and chemist chains have discount cards to keep you coming back. 

Once you find one which offers decent money off over time, stick with it to rack up rewards. 

4. Buy a prescription season ticket

Depending on how many medicines you need every year, it could save you up to £350 annually to buy a prescription ‘season ticket’ known as a prescription prepayment certificate from the NHS. 

You can pay either £31.25 for three months or £111.60 for a year for your season ticket. 

It will start saving you cash if you regularly need more than three items in three months, or 11 items in 12 months.

5. Save on HRT

If you are a midlife woman who takes hormone replacement therapy (HRT), the costs can rack up. 

However to save cash, you can now apply online for a HRT Replacement Therapy Prescription Prepayment certificate. 

The cost of two prescriptions is £19.30.

This will cover all your HRT costs for the year, saving you between £90 and £200, according to estimates.

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So how long should you keep medicines?

1. Cough and cold medicines

Many cough mixtures come in brown sealed bottles to keep out moisture, oxygen and light that can break them down.

According to NHS guidance, these medicines should only be kept for six months after opening as their contents will tend to evaporate and separate. 

Make sure they last better by keeping them somewhere cool and dark.

2. Eye drops, ear drops and nasal sprays 

Unopened eye drops usually expire two years after they were made.

But as soon as you open them, you should throw them away after 28 days.

Pharmacist Sultan says: “Your eyes are particularly sensitive to any bacteria that might grow once the bottles are opened and could cause conjunctivitis.”

3. Antibiotics 

Antibiotics are the nation’s guilty secret when it comes to holding onto unused medicines.

One study in the BMJ Open (2019) found that one in 15 of us keep leftovers and a third of those people hold onto them to use again next time they get ill, even though you should finish the course when they are prescribed.

“Not finishing the course means the bacteria that made you sick may get the chance to develop a resistance,” says pharmacist Sultan.

“This is now recognised as a major threat to human health.

“And don’t hold on to them for the next time because the same antibiotic won’t necessarily work for a different infection.”

4. Painkillers 

Buy a box of paracetamol capsules and most will also have an expiration of around two to three years from when you bought it.

Research has found that once paracetamol-based medicines go past that point, up to 30 per cent of the drug may break down in between 12 and 24 months.

These are also the medicines that tend to take the most bashing as we carry them around in handbags and car glove compartments.

So any damage to the packaging from heat, moisture and wear-and-tear can mean they can easily become contaminated and start to degrade.

Sultan says: “Buy little and often. Otherwise, they won’t do anything to relieve your headache.

“If you need them on the move, carry them in an airtight, dry bag, but not in plastic which will cause condensation.”

5. Vitamins and supplements 

As they are not medicines, we tend to hold onto vitamins and supplements for years.

However, the typical expiration date for these supplements is also around two to three years after they are made.

Some will degrade even faster, particularly gummies, and chewable or fizzy tablets, which tend to attract moisture, and so bacteria.

“Treat vitamins the same as medicine,” says Sultan.

“Otherwise, you could be introducing unwelcome strangers to your body, like bacteria and fungi, rather than the goodness you were expecting.”