Expiration dates are basically arbitrary and irrelevant. The FDA requires that "a date" be placed on everything, beyond which the original potency may be less.
I googled and learned that expiration dates are basically a marketing (restocking) strategy and there isn't research and documentation supporting that the medication has lost potency. This is critically important for people who are tossing expensive drugs and can't afford to do so.
Drugs Frequently Good Beyond Expiration Date
The expiration date doesn't mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being ... Unless you have nitroglycerin, insulin and liquid antibiotics, ...
http://www.mercola.com/2000/apr/2/drug_expiration.htm - 63k - similar pages
Expiration dates (Steve Harris)
>They should have an expiration date on them. It is conservative, but >at least gives you a guide. > >One antibiotic (I forget which) does tend to give a ...
http://yarchive.net/med/expiration_dates.html - 5k - similar pages
BYU-Idaho Student Health Center
If a drug is past the expiration date shown on the packaging, is it still safe
to use? Can I take an antibiotic if I take an oral contraceptive? ...
http://www.byui.edu/healthcenter/faq/faq1.htm - 16k - similar pages
Expiration dates
Most prescription vials will have an expiration date on it. ... Pediatric antibiotics typically have expirations dates of 10 to 14 days. ...
http://prescription.lifetips.com/cat...tes/index.html - 37k - similar pages
Drug Expiration Dates — Do They Mean Anything?—The Family Health Guide
It turns out that the expiration date on a drug does stand for something, but probably not ... Excluding nitroglycerin, insulin, and liquid antibiotics, ...
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/up...ate1103a.shtml - 17k - similar pages
Liquid antibiotics, insulin and nitroglycerin do lose potency apparently.
End of PSA.
A separate Yahoogroup is probably the most private and secure way to do the swap. Heal Thyself is a public forum, as is MDC. You can select "by invite only" for membership approval on Yahoo.
Pat
