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About two years ago, my psychiatrist stocked me up on a medication called Lexapro which is an anti-depressant because I was about to go off health insurance due to graduation. I had about 50 or so of these pills, but somehow I managed to misplace them. Going through my medicine cabinet, I found them again.

In light of really traumatic times, I've considered taking them again, but since they are almost a year expired, I wonder if it's dangerous to even try. I don't know the effects of taking expired medication, if they just don't work as well or they may actually make you sick. Anyone know?
    Expired anything will have bad effects on you. It's irrelevant to think if they're less effective or dangerous to your health. t's simply unsafe. D: It'll be safest to buy a new pack or bottle.

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I am not a pharmacist or any type of specialist, but I probably wouldn't take a chance with taking them. For one, with something like antidepressants you should never go ahead and stop, and start them on your own. Also the medication could be extremely ineffective because of how old they are, and/or some of the ingredients could be more powerful than others and not.

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The FDA several years ago issued a report regarding tablet medications, after doing research on behalf of the US Army. They found that the manufacturer simply is highly conservative in giving a year to two years from date of processing for an expiration date, when the medication doesn't start breaking down for approximately 15-20 years. In other words, as long as it is in tablet form, the medication will still be equally potent even ten years after you filed the prescription.

It's for this reason that soldiers get tylenol and such from the 1990's administered to them when they have a headache (to avoid constantly throwing out and replenishing stockpiles of medications) even to this day.

Now having said that, where are you storing your medications? If it's in the "medicine cabinet" typically found in a bathroom, you may as well throw them out, as no medications in tablet form should be kept in such an environment due to the humidity from the bath and shower causing tablets to partially dissolve from the water vapor.

Another thing is that you shouldn't stop, then resume medication at a later date without consulting a healthcare professional. Antidepressants are amongst the groups known to loose efficiency if the user stops taking them for a period of time (as the body has a chance to create a resistance to the drug if it gets a sufficient break). Remember, your body doesn't want the medication in there, and sees it as a toxin which it tries to filter as quickly as possible. Which is why you keep having to take it on a regular basis, to prevent the body countering it.

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Like most people are saying don't use expired medication. They are weaker then normal, ect:

It's kinda like food. You wouldn't eat very old expires food. Why would you take expired things that are made to affect your body.

Hygienic Hunter

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Having been a pre-pharmacy student who switched majors to nutrition and dietetics. I did experiments with aspirin that was 1-2 years old vs aspirin that was a week old and it showed that it was not as potent and had began to break down. whether it's safe I can't say for certain but I'd guess no. As for potency, those labels aren't there so we can sell more to you, they are there because yes they actually start to break down once they have been around for as long as posted on those bottles. Conflicting information is so that medical providers can justify not buying you safe and usable medication.

Unfortunately, if you are in need of medication that brand might not be suitable to you anymore as well. Depression is a hard one to get right because of the different variations in chemical differences in the brain that need to be corrected. It would be best if you could at least find some form of free clinic and ask about the medication you still have and whether it would be okay or if they can arrange a new medication for you that works and is cost effective.

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