old vitamins

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waverly9876
waverly9876 Posts: 605 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey! I am getting a cold and wanted to take some vitamins. I have a whole bunch of vitamins but they are like 1.5 years old (yes, that was the last time I was regularly taking them). Should I throw them out or can I take them safely?
Thanks!

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  • chrisfnet
    chrisfnet Posts: 83
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    Speaking as a pharmacy student, and a person who has been working in the industry for about 10 years..

    1) Check the expiration date. Assuming they've been stored properly (lid on, NOT in the bathroom, NOT above the stove in the kitchen).. and they are still in date, they should be fine.
    2) If not in date, or you're not SURE about how they've been stored... I would purchase a new bottle.
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
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    they should have an exp date printed on the bottle, and i would judge it by the date. if the date is still good, go for it, if it's past, then i would get new ones. i don't believe they go bad past that date, as they are just vitamins, but they lose their potency, so there isn't much point in taking them. especially if you are talking about vitamin C, i know that loses it's potency pretty darn quick.
  • GlynisH
    GlynisH Posts: 69 Member
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    I'm no expert but they've probably lost their potency. I had the same problem a few weeks ago. I threw all mine out. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
  • chrisfnet
    chrisfnet Posts: 83
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    Just to clarify, it's not necessarily that the medication loses its potency (although that's most likely the case).. you have to consider the excipients (the inactive ingredients). The processes that "age" medication such as oxidation and hydrolysis can potentially convert excipients (and the API) into not-so-desirable by-products.
  • ace175
    ace175 Posts: 518 Member
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    Speaking as a pharmacy student, and a person who has been working in the industry for about 10 years..

    1) Check the expiration date. Assuming they've been stored properly (lid on, NOT in the bathroom, NOT above the stove in the kitchen).. and they are still in date, they should be fine.
    2) If not in date, or you're not SURE about how they've been stored... I would purchase a new bottle.

    wow...I've ALWAYS kept mine in the bathroom in the medicine cabinet..... oops
  • chrisfnet
    chrisfnet Posts: 83
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    wow...I've ALWAYS kept mine in the bathroom in the medicine cabinet..... oops

    A lot of people do.. perhaps most people do. The humidity changes and temperature changes (on a daily basis, assuming you shower/bathe at that frequency) cause the drug product to degrade much more rapidly than it would otherwise. You may think that because it's in a closed container it wouldn't matter... but those containers are still affected by both temperature and humidity.

    The ideal place to store your medication is in a dry, relatively cool, dark place with the lid tightly intact.. and out of the reach of children and/or pets.

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