Flying tomorrow, freaking out today
August 4, 2011 10:17 AM   Subscribe

Short version: can I take expired Klonopin? Longer snowflake version: should I?

YANMD etc. etc.

I am flying tomorrow and I'm very very anxious about it. Can I/should I take an expired klonopin?

I was prescribed Klonopin in 2006-2007 for panic attacks. I used to take it very rarely, usually only 1/2 a pill for a panic attack. Worked like a charm. But....part of my OCD/anxiety has to do with anxiety about meds, so I feel compelled to offer more details.

When I got pregnant in 2007 I stopped taking the klonopin (and other meds). I got back on Zoloft after my son was born, but I haven't taken a klonopin since I had him because we've been breastfeeding (the whole freaking time...but that's for the next question).

This weekend I'm flying to my sister's for the weekend and I'll be gone for two nights. Freaking out about the flight and about leaving the kid...but won't be nursing for 48 hours. I have a bottle of Klonopin but it expired in June 2008. Can I take it? Will it still be good? Will it make me more anxious? Should I not chance it and just have a bloody mary at the airport?
posted by devotion+doubt to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)
 


Response by poster: Well, there I go, then (from the page treehorn+bunny linked to):

"What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date."

Thanks!
posted by devotion+doubt at 10:25 AM on August 4, 2011


treehorn+bunny beat me to it! The upshot is that with some exceptions (e.g., insulin, some antibiotics) expired meds are highly to be harmful in any way, though may not be 100% as potent as they were when they were "fresh." I've personally taken meds (specifically painkillers) years after the expiration date and not had any trouble (though of course this is just anecdotal, IANADorPharmacist, etc.) and would personally not have any problem taking a tranquilizer with an expiration date from 3 years ago.
posted by scody at 10:25 AM on August 4, 2011


Depends on the drug - as the article says:"And if you have any questions about the safety or effectiveness of any drug, ask your pharmacist. He or she is a great resource when it comes to getting more information about your medications."
posted by Lesser Shrew at 4:53 PM on August 4, 2011


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