I would use it.

I found this info.

Yes, it expires. The active ingredients become less effective and lose potency. The non-active ingredients can also break down and in some cases actually become spoiled. It probably is not necessary to throw something out on its due date, but I would use it up or replace it w/in a couple of months at the most.

pharmacy technician.

I'm not sure about your particular ointment but some drugs are not necessarily bad after their due date.

What happens is a company will test them for a specific period of time-say two years. They might be good for five years but the testing process is more expensive, the longer it takes.

Problem is, it's a cr*p shoot. You have no idea when they will lose their effectiveness.

It's fine! Gee, I throw out year old food but medicines? I just tossed some from a decade ago. My mil however, has lived long enough (84) and is frugal enough to advise me on what to keep and what to toss.

Supposedly they lose their potency as time goes on. However, coincidentally, I JUST had the same exact dilemma. I had a tube of cortizone 10 that had expired in 2008, although I can't remember the month. I didn't want to buy a new tube and throw away a full tube. So I took a chance and used it. Figured if I didn't see results, I'd pitch it and go ahead and buy new. But it worked fine.

The thing about drugs is, you buy them, but then hope you don't really need them. They come in large enough packages that I almost never use up a whole package before I'm over whatever was ailing me. Then it sits in the medicine cabinet, languishing, till it's past it's expiry date.

I'm not swayed by those dates, and have used expired meds many times. And they always seem to work. If they're older than a couple of years, I might toss them, but usually they're not, and I use them.

That's over a year, I'd probably buy new. I wouldn't be worried that the creme would go bad, but lose it's potency. We keep very few meds around, because we don't often take meds. In case of something prescription, I wouldn't keep it long after it's expiration date, pills especially.

tina

As stated above, I would think that the only real "danger" of using the expired cream is that it may have lost some of its potency. I'd certainly give it a try. I mean, if it doesn't help with the itch, you'll know it's time to toss it and buy new, but I can't imagine it would hurt to at least give it a try.

A friend of mine works as a chemist for the major manufacturer of store-brand medications. I asked him this question a while back, after he pulled a large jar of acetamenophin out of his glove compartment on a super hot day. I had exclaimed over him storing his meds in a hot car. He told me that these drugs and meds last far longer than the stated expiration dates, even if improperly stored.

As stated above, however, in certain meds, some ingredients become less effective.

So, personally, I would use the tube you have. If it doesn't seem to work, replace it. It can't hurt you "as is."

I have been told by a trusted physician that over time some drugs break down chemically. They can become ineffective or dangerous. I don't guess on meds. A couple of months past ok but no longer. I would use an expired ointment.

I don't keep anything that can be ingested orally past the expiration date. An anti-itch cream...no problem. Sunscreen, not so much. Old cold meds...nope.

I heard that if it's in a solid form (ie: tablet) it's less likely to be affected by temp changes, age, etc than something in liquid or gel cap form. Ointment...well, it'd probably be not so good, but if it's been stored unopened, it's probably ok.

How about a bottle of GenTeal eyedrops, sterile, preservative free -- unopened, expired 5/07? I thought the box had said 5/08! This stuff is usually so darn expensive. A certain kitty must have bounced my other stuff off somewhere, and I found this one in the cab. Have used it a few times already, though, thinking it was a year old.

I've been told a couple times that drugs lose their *potency after the expiry. One doc did say that he would never use anything that's over a year old, though.

I'm going to get new stuff, esp at 2 yrs, but do you think this is too old???

Is there a doctor in the house?