Nurse Annie is correct IF it is truly expired.

Drug expiration is determined by typical conditions and is the time the manufacturer guarantees full efficacy. Federal law makes the drug companies set a date, but it may or may not be accurate.

If it is 2 months after the prescription bottle says expired, it is unlikely to be what the manufacturer's date was.

These days pharmacies automatically say meds are expired in one year. After years working in pharmacies, I can tell you that high turn-over drugs are stocked up and usually don't truly expire in that year.

Seeing as vicodin is highly prescribed, I would call the pharmacy to see if they still have the lot number on the shelf and the true expiration.

One pharmacy I worked with actually wrote true expiration date on back of the prescription along with lot number and a "backcount" for scheduled drugs like vicodin.

Typically, your physician writes for a specific condition when he writes for narcotics. If you haven't taken vicodin for the reason you want to now, it may be the wrong drug of choice.
Source(s):
https://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update1103a.shtml


Permalink | Report