Expired Hydrocodone

I have a very bad toothache/s..... two teeth right next to each other. They are both going to probably either be removed or I'm going to have to have a root canal.

I'm seeing the doc on monday. I was prescribed tylenol with codeine but it is not touching the pain at all. Plus it makes me nauseous.

The last time I was in this situation Vicodin was the only thing that would work. I still have my generic vicodins (7.5/500) but they have expired about two years ago......

I know expired meds lose their potency.....but are they dangerous? Like if I take one or two will I die? Or have to be rushed to the hospital?

There is no way I'm going to be able to see the doc today to try and get a new prescription since I'll be going to work soon and will be working to around midnight. Taking the day off is not an option since I very badly need the money. (past due bills *SIGH*)

So it either comes down to taking the expired meds and hoping they won't kill me.

or....

Toughing it out.......and trying not to kill anyone who happens to be unlucky enough to cross my path.

or.... ripping out my own teeth

(j/k with the last one)

I don't think there's any danger in taking them. If you've stored them in a cool, dry, dark place they probably even still have most of their potentency.

edit:

Just make sure you don't take too much acetaminophen between the #3 and the Vicodins...that's more dangerous than the narcotics.

[edit on 11/5/2005 by djohnsto77]

Yeah they've definitely been in a cool, dark place.......

I'm leaning towards talking them. I think you might be right djohnsto77.
I'll just wait for a couple of more replies to be sure.

When I tried searching the net for "expired meds" all I could find are sites selling expired medication w/ no info about the side effects.

No problem at all. The expiration date the pharmacy gives you is really THEIR expiration date to get rid of the medicine at the pharmacy.
Their shelf life is one or two years beyond that, if kept in a cool dry place.

If you don't want them, you can always send them to me and I'll, uhmm, dispose of them for you

If you don't want them, you can always send them to me and I'll, uhmm, dispose of them for you

SHAME ON YOU!!! tsk tsk lmao
Recreational "disposal" of prescirption meds could lead to trouble..... like a higher tolereance. Then they won't work as well in an emergency. Look at my willpower to hold on to mine for 2 years.

[edit on 5-11-2005 by _NsayN_]


I've decided I trust my fellow ATS'ers so I took one and I'm feeling much better already.

Thanks very much to those who've replied. Now it's off to work and thankfully I should be pain free in another couple of minutes.

[edit on 5-11-2005 by _NsayN_]

So, are you saying you are going to take them yourself?

No sharing?

Feel better.

reply to post by djohnsto77


my hydrocodone is 5-325 and expired on 2005what can you tell me about that, plus how potent is this kind?

Originally posted by KunstDerFuge
reply to post by djohnsto77

 

my hydrocodone is 5-325 and expired on 2005what can you tell me about that, plus how potent is this kind?

first, i would take em...

as to you, i can tell you that yours are 5 millis of hydrocodone and 325 millis of acetomenophin....

i have 120 7.5/500's...

yean baby...

they really don't do anything to me now though....i can eat em like candy

Yes I believe they would be fine to take. I have taken out of date hydro and it worked just dandy.

Hope you get the problem taken care of soon. A toothache is extremely painful. It really can muck up your world.

Took some today tonight to help with backache and glad I did. Exp date was 01-26-2006. Do you think they are still same potency? (were stored in a cool dry place)

Isn't that how Tupac died?

reply to post by _NsayN_


you never know till you try right?

reply to post by dizziedame


Hi, I just wandered in here via google, and I might be able to set a record here: Would anyone be brave enough to try Vicodin that was prescribed back in March 1994? Yes, you read that right.

I have no idea what the actual manufacturer's expiration date was; the pharmacy just routinely put a no-refills after 6 months note on there. But I can't imagine the expiration date wasn't sometime between 1994 and about 1997 at the latest; surely they don't date them so far ahead.

I did see an article at one point saying that some studies had shown that some drugs were just as safe and effective 7 to 10 years after their expiration dates. (No, I don't remember when or where I saw that. It was a few years ago.) And I know that my parents, who are in their 80s and very healthy, have always scoffed at drug expiration dates. So I usually don't hesitate to use expired meds, but they are usually just a year or two past the expiration, at most.

This, however, is a such a long time after expiration. However, my husband just had oral surgery, and the surgeon insists he should be fine with only Tylenol. Hubby usually doesn't want any meds (that's why he didn't take the Vicodin back in '94 when he was prescribed it after different surgery), but he is so much pain. I have some Darvocet; he tried one of them and it didn't help much. This is a guy who is truly in severe pain if he's complaining.

Physicians are so paranoid about prescribing pain meds, it's idiotic. When I think of the surgery my husband had, and the fact that the only answer is "Tylenol and salt water rinses," it's infuriating. Do they think he would become an addict if they gave him maybe a half dozen pills to get him through a few days?

If the Vicodin would be no help, so be it, but if it might do the trick, I'd really like to see him get some relief. However, if it could have degraded into some sort of toxic compound, it's obviously not worth the risk, so that's the question I've been unsuccessfully trying to answer.

The bottle has been moved around a little over the years, but it's always been stored in either a closed drawer or cabinet in the kitchen (never in a bathroom). The tablets have no odor, and they look like nice, new pills - no powder in the bottle at all. So the question is: Is taking one tablet (or starting with half, maybe) playing Russian roulette with a life-threatening emergency, or is it merely risking that he'll be in the same pain he started with?

It's so frustrating that one cannot seem to find a straight answer to this question from any medical or pharmaceutical professionals. They just robotically give the same responses: "throw it out if expired." Or "don't take it if not just prescribed for this," etc. I understand why they say these things in general. But it seems to me the fact that we have had a bottle of Vicodin in the house for 14 years, and it's still here, is convincing evidence that we are not drug seekers looking to misuse these. I do not know why this information should be withheld from intelligent, responsible adults, so we could make informed decisions rather than gamble or suffer, but the current culture just doesn't seem to allow for them simply to answer the question.

Any opinions welcomed. The comical thing is that if the answer is that it is too risky, I know I will still put them in the back of the cabinet and probably wonder about taking them during some other painful crisis in the year 2019 or sometime.

My thanks to anyone who read this long post.

B.

reply to post by _NsayN_


Hello,
I had two teeth that really hurt anytime I drank or ate anything. I even had to go on antibiotics because I got an infection. I was told by the dentist I needed two root canals. I did not have the money so I started to gargle with ST-37 instead. ST-37 is an oral antiseptic and pain reliever. Guess what? After a few days of gargling with ST-37 the pain went away and I do not need the root canals anymore. I just wanted to share this with you. The largest bottle of St-37 is around $12.00. I usually have to special order it at Rite Aid. I hope it will help for you...

Originally posted by _NsayN_
I have a very bad toothache/s..... two teeth right next to each other. They are both going to probably either be removed or I'm going to have to have a root canal.

I'm seeing the doc on monday. I was prescribed tylenol with codeine but it is not touching the pain at all. Plus it makes me nauseous.

The last time I was in this situation Vicodin was the only thing that would work. I still have my generic vicodins (7.5/500) but they have expired about two years ago......

I know expired meds lose their potency.....but are they dangerous? Like if I take one or two will I die? Or have to be rushed to the hospital?

There is no way I'm going to be able to see the doc today to try and get a new prescription since I'll be going to work soon and will be working to around midnight. Taking the day off is not an option since I very badly need the money. (past due bills *SIGH*)

So it either comes down to taking the expired meds and hoping they won't kill me.

or....

Toughing it out.......and trying not to kill anyone who happens to be unlucky enough to cross my path.

or.... ripping out my own teeth

(j/k with the last one)

I have taken expired hydrocodone (Lortabs) both 7's and 10's that were 3+ years old and never had any problems at all. And they had just as much potency as they did a year before that.

They do loose potency, but they do not become poison. The worst case would be that you would get an upset stomach, to which Lortabs do that anyway, which is why it is recommended that you drink a milkshake or eat some yogurt or ice cream before or during when you take the pain killer.

Herei s a tip to save those very expensive pain killers when you dont need them anymore for later use.

Keep the original bottle they came in and place the unused tablets into a small sealable plastic bag or wrap them up in plastic and put them back into the bottle. Next just keep them in a cool, dry place and out of direct sunlight or bright light and UV light.

They will last and come in handy when you need a lil relief on those unexpected pain visits.



Cheers!!!!

[edit on 11-12-2008 by RFBurns]

reply to post by _NsayN_

i just found a bottle of hydrocodone 5/650...date filled:05/11/07 basically more than a year later they were kept in a drawer in a kitchen...not a good place since it gets very moist and warm in the kitchen,but
i took one and is working! so there you go...peace

hell man i would kill for some vicodin right now. i can't get any more untill the 30th.
as long as they were not crumbling in my fingers i would take them

Originally posted by KunstDerFuge
reply to post by djohnsto77

 

my hydrocodone is 5-325 and expired on 2005what can you tell me about that, plus how potent is this kind?

Are you sure that it is not oxycodone 5/325 i.e. percocet? hydrocodone doesn't come in a 5/325 formula. only 5/500, 7.5/500, 10/500 mg.

If it is percocet, it is pretty strong, and I would start with 1 tab. Percocet, is a tad bit stronger than lortab 5/500 but equal to lortab 7.5/500.

Hope that helps.

reply to post by paxnatus


nah, hydrocodone comes in 5/325, brand name Norco, I got some for surgery recently