Doliprane, cough syrup: what are the risks if you take expired medicine ?

Peut-on pendre un médicament périmé ?

Une boîte de Doliprane entamée, un sirop pour la toux pas tout à fait terminé… Nous avons tous, au moins une fois, été tentés de prendre un médicament périmé. Bonne ou mauvaise idée ? Les précisions du Pr Milou-Daniel Drici, directeur du centre régional de pharmacovigilance Nice-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

It is very common to keep medicines beyond their expiration date. Moreover, according to a recent study by the Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), 34% of French people consider it "rather not risky&quot or "not at all risky" to take expired medicine.

What is the "expiration date&quot? ?

The expiration date is a sort of guarantee that the potency of a medication will last at least until that date. "It is imposed by regulatory agencies on manufacturers ", explains Professor Drici.

"They are asked to ensure the quality, effectiveness and safety of the medication for a given time. This can range from 1 to 3 years (more rarely 5 years) from the date of manufacture." Thus, during this period of time, the organoleptic characteristics of the product, that is to say its texture, its color or even its taste, must not change. "A provided that the medication is stored properly by the user ", takes the time to clarify the pharmacologist, "because of temperature variations or exposure to light or humidity can alter the quality of the medication. This is why it is not recommended to store them in the bathroom."

Do not take liquids

But once the expiration date has passed, is the medicine less effective, or even dangerous ? In fact, it depends on the medicine. Some will be sensitive and others less so. "Liquid forms are very sensitive. They contain preservatives which degrade quickly. Using them beyond the deadline therefore exposes you to a risk of bacterial proliferation.

Thus, under this term of "liquid forms", we find:

Syrups Eye drops Injectable medications But also creams and ointments which can also decompose.

What about solid shapes ?

Again it depends. "Some are relatively resistant, like paracetamol or codeine for example. On the other hand, there is no question of exceeding the expiration limit for a product that is used in PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis in the context of HIV. Same for antibiotics, contraceptive pills, anti-asthmatics, treatments for hypertension… hellip; ".

To summarize, Professor Drici explains that ideally, it is better not to take expired medication. Before specifying that for freely available medications (apart from liquid forms), those of everyday use, used for small "bobos", going beyond a few weeks does not pose too many problems. On the other hand, for products subject to prescription, there are real risks of misuse. They can lose their effectiveness and/or become harmful.