Expiration dates?

I know they recommend tossing vitamins 6+ months after opening, due to it losing its effectiveness but is the same thing true for herbs, etc? Alot of this stuff expires 2 years(thats if you keep it in the bottle) later but herbs,OTC meds sometimes can be just as powerful as the rx stuff. And I'm scared to keep it, even if it isn't expired.. some guidelines for tossing various otc meds would be appreciated.

pokeman	i guess

abeneissa	be away from all these preparation ,natural is healthy .

poojari	vitamins do expire as they are synthetic-but herbs are natural.they dont expire even after their expiry date as long as they are kept in room temperature not in very hot place.

tigercub1	when in doubt,throw it out. if it is kept as instructed on the bottle, it is good even after the expiration date for at least 6 months.keep all meds except those that require refrigeration in a cool dry place and out of sunlight. adresser drawer is great.one high enough to be out of the reach of children.

michael d	Different vitamins has its own expiry date stated on the bottle just follow it and make sure you store it at the recommended place as per instruction.

Larry W	As for herbs, some will last a year without loosing flavor. Expired herbs won't hurt you. They just have weaker flavor. I try to replace mine every 6 months just to have fresher. Of course the freshest are non-dried ones. More and more stores are carrying them for reasonable prices. For otc drugs and liquids I don't like to keep them after the reason for them is gone, like decongestants. If you haven't used them for a few months, even vitamins, why keep them?

Shay p	A friend of mine is a pharmacist he said most of the vitamins are good at least one year after the manufacturers exp date nothing can rot or spoil just keep container tightly closed disposing off 1. Keep the medicines in the original container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally ingested. 2. Mark out your name and prescription number for safety. 3. For pills: add some water or soda to start dissolving them For liquids: add something inedible like cat litter, dirt or cayenne pepper. 4. Close the lid and secure with duct or packing tape. 5. Place the bottle(s) inside an opaque (non see-through) container like a coffee can or plastic laundry bottle. 6. Tape that container closed. 7. Hide the container in the trash. Do not put in the recycle bin.

pearl_hoff	toss them start fresh

♥†1savedgirl†♥	call the doctor you got it from and ask him/her. but i think that after six months, it probably will go bad.

Katia	if it's reached the expiration date chuck it..... otc meds are ok until the expiration date, don't fret......... certain RX meds like Vicodin lose their potency at the 6 month mark so even if you tried to take them like a year after you got them they wouldn't work (they do this on purpose so people can't stockpile them and abuse them).......... you're ok......