Okay, all you would-be pharmacists...so I have some generic Vicodin and on the bottle it says "20 APAP/HYDROCOD TAB 500/5."

The "discard after" date is 9/29/06. How long does this stuff last after the date? Is it inactive, or can I save it for when I get my wisdom teeth out next month?

I know it won't kill/hurt me, I just want to know if it is worthless at this point....Thanks!

3/2/2007 12:15:26 AM

normally they give you one year on the script from the day it is filled even though the bottle doesn't expire for a couple more years.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 12:55 AM. Reason : a]

3/2/2007 12:54:47 AM

Yeah, the fill date was 9/29/05...I just wondered if the stuff would still work...

3/2/2007 12:56:00 AM

i always assume that they always leave some wiggle room -- in everything.

thats how i live my life anyhow.. it seems to work most of the time for me.

3/2/2007 1:14:54 AM

well, whatever works...lol

3/2/2007 1:36:50 AM

there fine and will work normal

3/2/2007 1:51:35 AM

I had some milk that was supposedly expired 2 weeks previous. shit was still okay.

i think you can take some vicadins that are 6 mo out of date.

whats the worst that will happen? you wont get buzzed?

wash them bitches down with some vodka and orange juice, you wont tell the difference.

3/2/2007 2:09:34 AM

I am fairly certain they will still work. But I think they will prolly give you more drugs depending on how your wisdom teeth are coming out. I was given Perc I think when mine came out. 800mg of Ibuprofen worked for me though

3/2/2007 7:10:58 AM

^^milk doesn't have expiration dates

3/2/2007 1:11:40 PM

they are bad...give them to me and i will dispose of them properly.

3/2/2007 1:13:07 PM

^^ yes it does... okay well technically it's sell by dates but anyone knows that most milk goes bad 2-3 days after that date.

As far a prescriptions going bad or not that's on a per type basis. If it has an active incredient that doesn't function like it should after a certain point you could do more harm than good to yourself. I believe pennicillin is one of those.

3/2/2007 2:03:08 PM

^ this milk was still holdin out a full 2 weeks after its sell by date.

go figure.

3/2/2007 2:26:05 PM

Frank Drebin drank some milk that was like 2 years old but he spit it out and almost feinted

3/2/2007 2:28:23 PM

Quote :

"Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date."

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update1103a.shtml

3/2/2007 2:29:11 PM

Quote :

"they are bad...give them to me and i will dispose of them properly."

3/2/2007 4:13:11 PM

Over time, the chemicals in the prescription may start to break down or change. This can alter the effect of the medicine and possibly cause severe problems. There is a reason for the dates on your bottle.

3/2/2007 5:13:55 PM

well, it has an expiration date because the active ingredients DO fade, so to speak. the actual expiration date usually denotes when its at 90% potency of what it was when it was made. and while some drugs are very bad to take if you're not getting the full dose (like antibiotics), and since you're obviously using them recreationally, you'll live. maybe you'll get a buzz.

3/3/2007 1:30:27 PM

Wtchy is a painkiller addict

3/3/2007 3:34:38 PM

vicodin is inert - as long as you've kept it away from heat, extremely bright light, and haven't kept the bottle open, you should be good.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Hydrocodone.png

all kinds of fun things can happen to organic molecules with heat, light, and air. i'd guess those lovely oxygens (especially the carbonyl) will either go to alcohols or get substituted for something else. the ketone looks lovely.

3/3/2007 5:56:31 PM

just get a new Rx and mail your old ones to me

3/4/2007 7:02:08 PM

nah, most prescription drug "expiration dates" are bogus... some of them are true, and will have less effect, no effect, or a negative effect... but most just have it due to a FDA regulation

3/4/2007 8:37:33 PM

3/4/2007 8:39:19 PM

Well, Ibuprofen wasn't doing it the other night, so I took one just to see. It did help more so than the OTC stuff, but no buzz was involved as is expected of opiate-based drugs. I was cool with it though, because I just wanted my knees to quit hurting after horseback riding. But, for any of you kids wanting to catch a buzz, there was no dice....but then again, I only took one.

3/4/2007 8:43:39 PM

Quote :

"but then again, I only took one"

well, durrr.

what kind of dope head are you, anyhow?

3/4/2007 9:17:23 PM

haha...I never said I was using them for the buzz, I really wanted the intended use-to kill pain. lol.

3/5/2007 12:58:03 AM