Expired Medications

[LAReefer4Life]

Best practice is to keep medications on hand in case we need to treat for ailment or parasite. However, a majority of these medications expire, so does the product need to be discarded or can they still be effectively used after the expiration date?

 

[KrisReef]

Depends on the stabilizers used in the product and what other chemicals are present, is the container sealed and airtight, etc. I wouldn't not use them if I needed them.

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Depends on the stabilizers used in the product and what other chemicals are present, is the container sealed and airtight, etc. I wouldn't not use them if I needed them.

yes all is sealed and airtight, just waiting for a rainy day. I was cleaning my supply cabinet and noticed the product expired.

 

[Malcontent]

If it's not in gel/liquid form it'll basically last forever:

Drug expiry debate: the myth and the reality

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[LAReefer4Life]

If it's not in gel/liquid form it'll basically last forever:

Drug expiry debate: the myth and the reality

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Thank you! This is very helpful

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Best practice is to keep medications on hand in case we need to treat for ailment or parasite. However, a majority of these medications expire, so does the product need to be discarded or can they still be effectively used after the expiration date?

Depends on the medication. Antibiotics lose potency after their expiration date, and I keep hearing rumors that Prazipro can go bad over time.

People assume that aquarium medication manufacturers have labs that test all this stuff, but they don't. That means they either just pick an expiration date out of thin air, or they use one from the component drug that they bought to make their product.

Jay

 

[Tamberav]

Best practice is to keep medications on hand in case we need to treat for ailment or parasite. However, a majority of these medications expire, so does the product need to be discarded or can they still be effectively used after the expiration date?

If powder… put them in the freezer and they will last many many years. At least humblefish tested some after keeping them in the freezer for many years past expiration and they were found to not have lost much potency and still usable.

Something like copper will also not go bad.

So that leaves prazipro and ruby rally that are the ones that probably expire.