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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Is it safe to take aspirin past the "use by" date?

    Related Topics
    Migraines & Headaches Neurology Pain
    I have aspirin that says “use by 12 2011” - is this safe to take now, in September 2012?
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    Dr Aaron Albrecht

    Chiropractor

    Dr. Aaron Albrecht works at Body Wise Chiropractic in Bibra Lake, Western Australia. The clinic is located within a gym, and Dr. Albrecht is the … View Profile

    Hi,

    It is always best to follow the use by date on all medications, or at the very least, consult your pharmacist. It is not only the active ingredients we must consider here, but also the other things which make up the tablet. For example, if you have a tablet which has 50mg of drugx in it, the chances are that it has other things in it (a 50mg tablet would be very small, also the other things in the tablet affect how it dissolves).

    Short answer, no, always take medications in their use by date to be safe.

    - Dr. A

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  • Anonymous

    I ended up asking a pharmacist like you recommended. For aspirin they said it's not going to be dangerous, but it could be less effective to the point of being completely useless. But they said it will be safe and nothing bad should happen.

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    Dr Matthew Hodgson

    Chiropractor

    Matthew Hodgson has over 20 years of experience and specialises in correcting the underlying cause of peoples problems. He uses advanced diagnostic techniques and leading-edge … View Profile

    I wouldn't eat food that was past it's used by date so why do it with aspirin? It's cheap and very effective when used properly. Don't risk it and just get another box if you need to.

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