Is it harful to take Tylenol after the expiration date?

Answer 1

Some drugs lose their potency over time. Others can decompose into potentially harmful compounds, though this is rare. It's usually a matter of effectiveness.

The reason that most drugs remain effective long after the expiration date is that the FDA requires the drugs to be tested for effectiveness over time. Most drug manufacturers don't test beyond a year or two past the date of manufacture. It's like a warranty period. After the expiration date, the drug is "out of warranty". But it might still work just fine.

Drugs like aspirin and Tylenol have been around for many years, so why the short expiration? We know they have a long shelf life. It's because every time the manufacturer changes its packaging or formulation (pill shape, pill type (tablet vs capsule), and a variety of other things), the testing process has to start over from time zero.

So the expiration date really only states how long a particular formulation has been tested, and how long the manufacturer is willing (or the government requires) to guarantee its effectiveness.

Answer 2

There are websites that say taking expired acetaminophen can be toxic to the liver. But truth be told, it's bad for your liver regardless of expiration. If you've taken it once, I wouldn't worry too much. It's preferable to buy some fresh Tylenol.

Answer 3

It depends.

It does decompose, like all organic compounds, but not suddenly on the expiration date.

If you're a few days or a month over, go for it

if you're a year over ... it's time to trash it and buy a new bottle.

As a general rule, the more "organic" the compound, the worse the stuff gets post expiration (aspirin lasts longer than penicillin)

Answer 4

Yes, if not more than 3 months past date and the medication has been kept in a cool, dry place. Tylenol becomes extremelytoxic about five years past-date. Just as an experiment, keep some for that long (in a bank safety deposit box, so no one accidentally poisons themselves) and see what happens to it. Trust me it's worth the wait.

Answer 5

Most pain relievers like this are good up to at least five years after the expiration date. In fact, a study was done that showed most (90%-ish) medications are good up to 15 years after that date.

Answer 6

Yes. The manufacturer's bottle will contain an expiration date, beyond which the potency cannot be guaranteed and the product should be replaced.