Expiry date on PrEP prescription

[Guest]

Is the expiry date on PrEP an actual deadline where it will be less effective/ineffective after that date? 

I noticed that the expiry date on my PrEP is around 9 months from when I received it. Not usually a problem for me to use it in that timeframe, but with lockdown I'm not using any and I wondered if I don't use it does it become useless or weaker, or would it still work? 

[BootmanLA]

Most medications retain *some* efficacy after their expiration dates.

Be forewarned that the expiration date on a sealed bottle as received by the pharmacy (before they start dispensing from it) is one date. Even if that date is two years in the future, they're likely to put an expiration date on the dispensed container of less, because the dispensed pills are no longer in the sealed container from the manufacturer.

If you're concerned, keep the pill bottle in a cool, dark, dry place (light, heat and moisture do more to break down medications than anything else) to help preserve its life. And of course, use the oldest supply first when you start using it again. If you have more questions, I'd ask your pharmacist, who's more likely to know the shelf life of the drug in a less controlled environment than anyone else. 

[funpozbottom]

An Expiration date on a medication is an arbitrary point to which the manufacturer guarantees potency. It doesn't mean that past that point the drug will be less effective, it just means they haven't studied it long enough to assume the liability of guaranteeing it for longer.

That said, how a drug is stored can effect its potency. For example, an unopened bottle that's kept dry and at a cool room temperature can last decades with no change to the drug. Once the bottle is open, it becomes exposed to air and humidity and may start to degrade so the general guidance is that, once it's opened, it should be used within a year. But again, that's arbitrary, and if it's stored reasonably well, it's probably going to last for several additional years without any degradation. So, if you are going to use it within 6 month of the expiration (another arbitrary number) it would most likely still be as effective as when it was manufactured.

If you have doubts about it, ask your doctor or pharmacist. They will probably tell you the official policy, but then tell you that in reality, it's not going to be a problem, just use it up as soon as you can.

[LKMike]

I have wondered this before. I have used PrEP that's 2 years past expiration date. Still neg after using it, but that is no guarantee it was the PrEP that kept me that way, could have just been the luck of the draw. The only thing I can say is that it was a foil sealed bottle of 30, and having been off it for a while,  I had the same side effects I usually get when starting PrEP,  upset stomach,  nausea,  loss of appetite,  for about 10 days.

[Guest]

Thanks guys, over here PrEP is dispensed in packs with each pill individually sealed in the pack, you pop it out each time. So each pill hasn't been exposed to the air until you pop it to use it. I'm hoping that lockdown will end soon enough for me to make up time.