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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nathan on November 13, 2001, at 20:48:30
I was wondering if benzos like xanax (upjohn) and generic xanax lose potency over time.
Posted by Sigolène on November 14, 2001, at 11:07:24
In reply to Do benzos have a shelf live?, posted by nathan on November 13, 2001, at 20:48:30
> I was wondering if benzos like xanax (upjohn) and generic xanax lose potency over time.
Yes
Posted by Gracie2 on November 14, 2001, at 19:21:49
In reply to Re: Do benzos have a shelf live?, posted by Sigolène on November 14, 2001, at 11:07:24
I don't know because I always took them all right away.
Posted by Pamela Lynn on November 15, 2001, at 11:02:57
In reply to Re: Do benzos have a shelf live?, posted by Gracie2 on November 14, 2001, at 19:21:49
I think just about every med. has a 'shelf life'....You could call or ask your pharmicist, I bet he/she could help.
P.L.
>
> I don't know because I always took them all right away.
Posted by Daveman on November 17, 2001, at 14:03:35
In reply to Do benzos have a shelf live?, posted by nathan on November 13, 2001, at 20:48:30
> I was wondering if benzos like xanax (upjohn) and generic xanax lose potency over time.
Nathan:
My prescription bottles for both Xanax and Klonopin (generic both cases) have a date after which they are to be discarded. That means they will degrade over time. In fact, here in the U.S., I believe it is a legal reqiurement to provide such information with each prescription. Of course, I don't know what country you are from, but if it's the US, check the label.
Dave
Posted by Cam W. on November 17, 2001, at 15:37:50
In reply to Do benzos have a shelf live?, posted by nathan on November 13, 2001, at 20:48:30
> I was wondering if benzos like xanax (upjohn) and generic xanax lose potency over time.
Nathan - In Canada, at the expiry date medications (all medications) are presumed to have lost 5% of their listed potency. Drugs begin to slowly lose their potency from the time they are manufactured.
Many drug companies (I don't know which ones) will set their expiry date at approximately 3% of lost potency. This is to account for different rates of breakdown under different environmental conditions. For example, some drugs lose potency faster when stored under conditions of high heat &/or humidity, or if they are frozen.
By lawa (again, in Canada) pharmacists are not allowed to dispense medications that have passed their expiry date, or will not be all taken before the expiry date. Most pharmacies, including mine, will pull medications off of the shelf 2 to 3 months prior to the expiry date.
When I started in pharmacy over 17 years ago, many drugs and chemicals did not have expiry dates, due to their slow rate of chemical breakdown (eg. sodium chloride breaks down very, very slowly). Around the time that I graduated, the Canadian government had enacted legislation to ensure that all drugs and chemicals sold to pharmacies had expiry dates on the bottle. Usually this expiry date is approximately 5 years from the time of manufacture &/or bottling. Most simple chemicals still have not lost even minimal potency at this point.
I hope that this is of some help. - Cam
This is the end of the thread.
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