Medicine expiry dates are one such thing. It is widely recommended to check the expiry date before consuming any medicine, but have you ever asked why behind it? Why do medicines have expiry dates in the first place?
Because you grew up hearing about them or seeing them and never really paused to ask why, there are many things in life that you accept as they are, by default, mostly.
Occasionally, also try to clean out your first aid box, discarding all the expired medicines and replace with fresh ones; otherwise, during an emergency, you won’t be able to take the medicine, or worse, end up consuming the expired ones in a state of panic. Above all, the expert firmly advocated for developing the habit of checking medicines before taking them, or even before purchasing them. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
Dr Anima Sharma, consultant in endocrinology at Narayana Hospital, Gurugram, helped resolve this common doubt, delving into the science behind why medicines expire. She also responded to other questions associated with medicine longevity. They can degrade and lose effectiveness. Dr Sharma elaborated on this point, decoding the science, “No medicines are meant to never change. This may cause the medicine to be weaker and less effective.”
Because the ingredients react to environmental triggers, here are the questions the endocrinologist answered for us, all related to medicine and their expiry dates: As per the expert, medicine won’t have an indefinite shelf life. Active ingredients can gradually degrade over time due to exposure to oxygen, moisture, heat, and light.
But she also shared a prominent caveat, “There is no guarantee that it will function correctly. Though decreased effectiveness may be a specific worry with certain medicines. For instance, if a person takes a medicine that has become less effective for an important health condition or to treat an infection, then the timely treatment of the infection may be delayed.”
