Bisacodyl - My dulcolax expired 3 years ago. Can I take it?
Question posted by barbwsm on 8 Dec 2014
Last updated on 6 October 2020 by prettykittycat
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5 Answers
My boyfriend had constipation, there were some Dulcolax tablets in my medicine cabinet from when my mom gave birth to me, so forty years old. He figured they would have lost most of their potency so he decided to take two. Big mistake! They were perfectly potent and he had terrible diarrhea. We laugh about it now, him thinking he could adjust the dosage. So I guess pills don't always lose effectiveness in the started time frame. The pills were in a dark brown glass prescription bottle and the bathroom they were in didn't get steamy, so perhaps the environment was perfect for preservation. At any rate I never assume expired medicines are no longer potent or usable. I usually give them a try. There are very few medicines that will degrade in a damaging way and you definitely shouldn't attempt to use them after expiration, you can ask your pharmacist about them.
I think there is an antibiotic notorious for this, otherwise you don't have to worry about risking your health, only about having a less effective pill... which in the case of Dulcolax wasn't a problem! Haha! Kudos to Dulcolax, I guess it's an endorsement for making a quality product!
don't use past due date
I took 3 dulcolax pills the other night and nothing happened the next day. So when I went to take more the next night I got my magnifying glass and checked the date and they had expired 2 1/2 years ago. Certainly there were no ill effects but no effects at all.
Never use expired meds get new ones.
No way. Get a fresh batch.
Related topics
dulcolax, constipation, constipation - acute, bisacodyl
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