When Should Old Medicines Be Thrown Away?

About a year after they expire. In most cases, prescription-drug expiration dates are one year to five years from the date they were made. But some pills can actually keep for a decade or even longer, research suggests. "Except for tetracycline, which can become toxic and cause kidney problems, expired drugs generally don't appear to cause harm," says Consumer Reports' chief medical advisor, Marvin M. Lipman, M.D. "But they do become less potent over time."
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