Expired Oxycodone? (Top voted first)

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I found 4 year old expired oxycodone in my medicine cabinet and I would like to know if its still safe to take? I don't know much about medicine so I'll just write what the label says: OXYCODONE W/APAP 5/325 TAB MCK subsituted for percocet and the pill has a 512 stamped on it?

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Folks.... there is absolutely no evidence to suggest Morphine or any of it's cousins in the Opiate family degrade over appreciable amounts of time. Most likely , if stored in a cool , dry place, the shelf life is somewhere in the 90-200 year range! Expiration dates are nothing more than a ploy by by the FDA to scare the consumer into buying more drugs as big pharma has a hand in most of what the FDA decides . Dont beleive they are "expired" when it comes to Opiate meds. Antibiotics need to be somewhat fresh, however, so they use that as a pretext for all meds.

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11

It seems to be so fashionable to accuse pharmaceutical companies nowadays. People gladly heed all the panic-mongers and other conspiracy theorists. Exceptionally frustrating to see some educated people chanting the same nonsense.

As a pharmacist I tell you one thing - a drug molecule may well be exceptionally stable over 100 years, but *never* a drug product. The drug product contains other materials that as whole contribute to the efficacy and safety of the drug *product*. The safety and efficacy are assumed maintained if suitable characterization criteria are met - the dose in the product is more or less what is claimed on the label, no or little known impurities, no or very little unidentifiable impurities... The evaluations are carried out to determine the shelf life - meaning whither (not whEther) the drug product may be still considered meeting the specification. During storage all the materials in the dosage form become degraded, not just the active ingredient. Sometimes a mixture is less stable than every material alone. This is life. If you are fine with taking a neat powder in an old apothecary style, disclaiming all the benefits of taste masking, ease of administration, or more importantly - the insurance of a complete dissolution and maximal possible absorption - you are welcome to ask for a prescription for a dry powder and good luck looking for a compounding pharmacy to prepare the powder doses for you. The FDA must guard against ineffective or unsafe *products*. Therefore if you heard somewhere that morphine is stable over 200 years, this may be or may not be true, it is immaterial. No *product* may be considered safe and efficacious after expiry at the same level as it was fresh.

Insider tip: look at the shelf life. If the shelf life is 5 years, it may well be that the product is good even after 7 or even 10 years, as 5 years is considered statutory maximum. If it is less than 5 years, don't use it beyond a month after expiry.

And for the educated guys over there - please consider very well what you know before you engage into giving irresponsible counsel. You may be admirable organic chemists or molecular biologists, yet admit, it may be that you know very little of formulation science and CMC in general. Don't be mad at others who may sometimes know better, and in return I promise never to counsel about nanoscale transition metal catalyzed metatheses or differential interspecies transcriptosomes.

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10

I just finished up about seven 5 mg tabs of oxicodin, 6 hrs apart, that were 23 years old. Just couldn't bring myself to throw them away, and they worked quite well to keep me from going to the ER , for my kidney stone pain. I read that that military stockpiles of certain drugs, for cost reasons, are now kept for 480 months, as opposed to 24 months. Opiates are some of them. Good enough for military-good enough for me. Go ahead and throw them away, and get fresh ones, if you are that gullible?

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9

I found an old bottle of oxycodone from 2013 will it still work if i take it ?

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18

After reading through some of these posts, I thought it needed some fact-based information from a biochemist who used to work as a production supervisor at a pharmaceutical plant making Schedule 1 narcotics like this.

It is imposible to answer this question without knowing how the drugs have been stored. Assuming the Oxycodone 512 was stored according to the label and not exposed to water for the life of the drug, there is no danger.

Both semi-synthetic opioids and acetaminophen have very long shelf lives, meeting the 90% potency criteria for periods well in excess of 30 years past expiration.

archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1377417

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8

From personal experience:

There is a lot of emotion about the drugs oxycodone and oxycontin in the media these days. I have NO CHOICE (after seeing ten of the top ortho/neorologists who agreed with each other that my spine is beyond repair) but to take these medications. Like Orca, the killer whale, these meds haven't changed substantially in many years. But like Orca, our perceptions have changed. Killer whales are not monsters of the deep who will pursue one into one's house, but nor are they cute domestic pets who we can trust to not bite off limbs if we stick them in their mouths. (It is our perception which has changed). I am no more dependent on oxycontin today than when I first began taking it. I too often forget a dose which screws up the bolus. It took two years for my pain medicine specialist to convince me that I would be more functional on a higher dose. Some of us like being hyper lucid. It frightens me to see public opinion swinging the way it is going because sweeping oxycontin off the street and scaring doctors out of prescribing it makes room for the much more easily obtained black market. I know this, as, due to the fact that my drugs are locked in a safe, and doctors were afraid to prescribe appropriate pain meds, my son was convinced to try other illicit drugs. Not that I wanted him to find and use my medications, but I might have known that he was in excruciating pain had he sought relief from a doctor unafraid of current public opinion.

Of course, the ideal is that doctors prescribe appropriate pain medicine. However, especially if a patient in pain is younger, doctors prescribe ineffective remedies to cover themselves from stigma. So, kids seek opiates on the street. So much of addiction is self-medication, and opiates are the same as they have always been. They are safe if prescribed by physicians for particular conditions.

On the other hand, my pain medicine specialist (board certifiable in psychiatry, pharmacology and board certified in neurology and pain medicine) does not want me taking even one dose of any NSAIDS, including acetominophen, advil/motrin/aleve/almost everything prescribed for arthritis. Apparently, studies are showing damage to liver and kidneys as well as other ill effects, yet that is mostly what is prescribed for pain.

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17

John is a perfect example of why people shouldn't get their information from the internet. Combine an opinion with a healthy dose of conspiracy or personal anecdotes and suddenly its valuable? You can always call a pharmacist for a real answer on a drug.

Expiration dates are real and based on a federal requirement that drugs maintain 90-110% of the active ingredients up to the expiration date when stored under listed conditions. Stability typically has to be demonstrated prior to sale, and most pharmaceutical companies don't really want to wait longer than 2 years, so that is the most common time frame validated. Yes, some drugs last much longer when stored properly and companies are free to file data with the FDA to extend their expiration. However, some drugs lose efficacy after the expiration - and some of drugs or fillers change into highly toxic compounds as they age.

In this specific case, Oxycontin 512 should be okay in excess of 30 years IF stored properly - and that is according to a study of severely expired pharmaceuticals published in JAMA.

From a biochemist and former pharmaceutical manufacturing supervisor overseeing manufacturing of Schedule 1 narcotics.

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I think it might be worth mentioning that there is a difference between a drug dependency (physiologically or psychologically) and addiction. If you take any opioid medication consistently for even a month or so, you will almost certainly develop a physiological dependence. This just means (I say "just" as if it is insignificant; it can start off minor but become pronounced over time) that your brain becomes used to having the medication in your body and produces less endorphins (your body's naturally produced painkiller -- endogenous morphine = "endorphin") than it would before you started taking the medication. When you stop taking it -- especially if you ABRUPTLY stop after a substantial amount of time of taking them regularly -- you won't feel well. The severity of these withdrawal symptoms will vary depending on a number of factors, such as the typical dosage, frequency of doses, the level of pain that requires you to take them (generally, if you have severe pain, you will have a lower dependence because the drug goes more towards bringing you to a " normal" state of painlessness versus starting at a low or painless state and the drug producing a euphoric "reward"), and very individual-specific factors like overall health and nutrition, among other factors. You may also gain a psychological dependence, a pattern of thought ihappenimgou come to mentally rely on the medication to cope with the pain. If you do not form a physical dependence (and quite possibly a psychological one as well), that would be extremely unusual (and lucky, too!). If you are a sufferer of chronic pain, especially severe chronic pain, well...first, I feel for you, as I do, too -- multiple failed back surgeries. But second, please don't allow the fear of dependency on pain meds prevent you from taking something that can return some semblance of normalcy and functionality to your life. I am not suggesting ignore the very real possibility of dependence at all. Far from it. Ignoring it completely is how you run into problems. Either you ignore its development then try to stop suddenly and experience extremely unpleasant withdrawals (which can simply end up reinforcing at least one's psychological dependence as well as quite some time feeling like a flu that kicked all the weaker flus' asses plus insomnia), or you'll end up developing an ever-increasing tolerance to the meds, requiring ever-larger doses to achieve the same level of relief. All of these meds have a maximum prescribable dose, after which you'll end up taking them not for the original purpose but just to avoid withdrawals. But fear not...smart management and taking the occasional day or two off with your doctor's assistance can keep your tolerance down and the MED's effectiveness where it should be.

Now...dependence and addiction are NOT the same thing. Dependence is your body's adaptation to the continuous presence of the medication in its system. There should, in Yours Truly's humble opinion, no moral judgment involved with it. It is just biochemistry. Addiction, however, is what occurs to one's behavior to obtain the drug in question. Having a legitimate medical condition and being prescribed pain meds for it by a licensed doctor (and filled by a licensed pharmacist) is NOT addiction. Resorting to illegal and\or immoral means to obtain the meds to feel high...THAT is addiction. If that's happening, that's when you need to look long and hard at yourself in the mirror and be honest with yourself about the possibility of it ending well without a conscious decision to stop (and FAR more often than not, getting professional help doing so).

There is actually another possibility -- something called psuedo-addiction. This occurs when you have a legitimate medical need for the drug and probably started taking it after a doctor legitimately prescribed it, but for some reason, the dosage and/or medication type became insufficient for pain control, so you end up resorting to antisocial means to procure what you need to cope with your medical need. So...if this is the case, you need to realize that this is just as likely to end badly as addiction (perhaps worse if you are arrested and cannot obtain the meds you need because you've been labeled a "junkie"). In such a case, stop...talk to a doctor of your own accord before you get busted. Try to find a doctor in your area who understands the problem. If you can kick it on your own before going to a doctor, great...and you can decide whether you're safer telling him or her. That's a judgment call. But don't keep going the antisocial route as it becomes increasingly riskier over time (and mind you, any time you resort to lying or stealing to get meds, you are rolling the dice).

The bottom line for all of this is be aware of the differences between dependency, addiction, and psuedo-addiction. Dependency can and should be managed. Pain meds can be a lifesaver for certain people if used intelligently. And for those who are considering using them recreationally...don't. Please. Most junkies routinely wish they would have chosen NOT to do so.

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1

If you are asking if it becomes dangerous as it ages, the answer is no. It does not, however, these medications will lose potency over time, so it may no longer work as well as it did when it was new and may have no efficacy left at all.

Taking more, to try to relieve pain can be dangerous, since these also contain Acetaminophen and too much of that can be toxic, to the point of being fatal.

The wisest idea is to properly dispose of them and see your doctor for a new prescription if you need help with pain.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Acetaminophen+%2B+Oxycodone/­

Do you have any other questions?

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16

The main reason people have a problem with pharmacies is that they do not put the real expiration of the drug on the bottle. Everything is given, at most, a one-year expiration date, even though many drugs bought wholesale (I am a veterinarian) have expiration dates that go out much further than one year. So, basically, a lot of those so-called expiration dates are lies.

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19

My husband just had a total knee replacement we had oxy from 2012 and it works fine no pain taking it just like hospital said to take every four hrs

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25

Comment #18 posted a link to a study on exactly this issue.

Except for aspirin and acetaminophen, the pain medicines involved appear to last decades if stored properly.

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intelex22 - Thank you for the valuable information! I picked up 20 OC5's for my bug out bag and knowing they have a decent shelf life is extremely important.

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23

Where is your source for this: "Folks.... there is absolutely no evidence to suggest Morphine or any of it's cousins in the Opiate family degrade over appreciable amounts of time. Most likely, if stored in a cool, dry place, the shelf life is somewhere in the 90-200 year range! Expiration dates are nothing more than a ploy by the FDA to scare the consumer into buying more drugs as big pharma has a hand in most of what the FDA decides. Dont believe they are "expired" when it comes to Opiate meds. Antibiotics need to be somewhat fresh, however, so they use that as a pretext for all meds".

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33

You are completely right, i got shot in my lower back and it kinked.my spine which ended up pinching my nerves in a way where they are afraid to even touch it, i can walk..but it hurts to even stand up straight. Im still somewhat young and when i had them prescribed, i was doing ok actually, my doctor retired and my new.one saw me as an addict and took me.off, i had withdrawal symtoms for a little while but after the first few days it went away and i tried to be active again. I got hurt so bad and ended up getting 600mg motrin that got.me sick. After about a week of this i couldnt take it and got medication on the street where i was exposed to hop and ended up getting addicted to it. Them saying these pills are so awful and making no doctor want to give them out only did one thing, increased demand on the street which sprouted an entire new market for drugs, in which people also get exposed to the criminal element. Id like to say thanks to the DEA for their harsh regulations like raising my norco 10mg/325 up a whole schedule.

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34

I have been taking demerol 50 mg and oxycodone 10mg w/ no fillers for 8 years for a bulging disk instead of surgery. I have been having problems for the last year with my gi tract and did all the diagnostics with no results. My doctor said it might be the long term use of the opioids so I said to myself fk it, cold turkey time. It was the worst 2 weeks of my life, incredible pain and suffering with cold sweats, diarrhea, aching all over, restless muscles and a constant mental struggle. Now its been 3 weeks and my gi track problems are getting better and im thinking clearly like ive stepped out of a fog into the sun. My back hurts like f*** on some days but i take deep breaths and stretch to get through it. To answer the question at hand, I took a 6 year old bottle of 160 10 mil oxycodone and used them when I was desperate and in need while out of the country and they worked just fine with no ill side effects for me. Opioids were crazy hard to get off after my long time use. My advice is don't take them unless you really really need to.

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36

I found a jar of OxyContin 20 mg OC and they were filled in 2009. It says it expires in 2010. Now it's 2017. I took a half and it feels like I have taken a 10 mg OxyContin. I don't think they expire because the feeling is still there but that's me. I don't abuse medicine. I just took it to try it because I was in some pain at the time and do not suggest you should take it but I took 10-year-old OxyContin 20 mg and they work perfect. Not saying that you should...

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5

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I can attest to the fact that oxycodone degrades over time. I have recurrent renal stones, and as many of you know, asking for a script for pain meds is like telling someone else's child that they almost had a sister - it elicits outrage. I took matters into my own hands and found a friend who had an old script for 5-325 oxys filled in 2012. Took two and got nothing. Took two with a big old glass of organic grapefruit juice - nothing. I am 125 lbs soaking wet and very pharmacologically sensitive. Sorry to say, oxycodone can degrade over time.

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An important addendum on my previous post. It seems that the oxycodone gas begun to take some a decent (though not as intense as fresh pills) effect at the hour twenty mark. The only reasonable explanation i can come up with is that i am actually experiencing the effects of oxymorphone, the first pass metabolite of oxycodone. I cannot think of an alternative mechanism by which these effects would be mediated.

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29

Well put. Nice to see someone else who can articulate the difference. I would rather be dependent and functional then without medication and without any quality of life I am 53 years old with peripheral aretrial disease and chronic lower back pain. Without meds life is not worth living.

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