Dilfer asked
Do Adderall expire? I have a bottle from 2015 but they look fine.
Answer
Like all prescription medication, Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) do expire after a set period of time. The expiration of a drug depends on many factors but most of the time, the expiration date for Adderall will be set by the manufacturer or by the pharmacy after re-packaging for dispensing.
In most situations, it is not recommended to take expired medication, including expired Adderall. While taking expired Adderall is not likely to cause harm, there a is a good chance that it will not be as potent as it once was when it was in-date and therefore, may not be as effective.
Expired Medication
Medications lose potency over time due to degradation of the actual drug, degradation of the dosage form or both. The problem with taking expired medication is that you just don't know if it has lost potency.
Most drugs don't actually go "bad" in regard to being harmful to take, but they just may not be as effective as they once were. Having effective medication is crucial for appropriate treatment. Just imagine if you were to rely on expired, degraded antibiotics. There is a good choice your infection may go untreated or get worse. For this reason, it is nearly universally recommended to replace expired medication.
As stated above, there are few examples of expired drugs "going bad" or being harmful to take. One rare exception may be degraded tetracycline. There were rare reports of kidney damage in individuals who took expired tetracycline in the 1960s. However, current data suggests that current prescription tetracycline products are unlikely to cause any problems at all.
Expired Adderall (Mixed Amphetamine Salts)
In regard to Adderall specifically, there are no tell-tale signs of expiration or degradation. Some drugs, like aspirin, have distinct characteristics when they start to lose stability. Aspirin will have a fairly potent vinegar smell to it as acetic acid is one of the by-products of its degradation. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell when Adderall begins to breakdown.
Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) is available as multiple products, all of which will have set expiration dates. Examples of Adderall products include:
- Adderall
- Adderall XR
- Mixed amphetamine salts generic products
- Mydayis
When Do Medications Expire?
Expiration dates are generally set by the manufacturer and are usually 2 to 3 years after the date of manufacturing. There is certainly a chance that a medication is good for longer than the set expiration date, but stability tests generally are only performed for a set period of time (e.g. 2 to 3 years). After this time, there is just no way to easily tell if a drug has retained its potency.
While manufacturers will set expiration dates on their products for 2-3 years from the date of manufacture, most pharmacies will set an expiration date on dispensed drugs (i.e. repackaged drugs) of one year. This is mostly due to state laws, which require an expiration date of no more than one year from dispensing. There are a few reasons for this:
- Dispensed medications are often stored in less than ideal conditions. Exposure to light, heat and moisture for example will greatly accelerate drug degradation.
- After one year, it generally is not recommended to continue treatment for a disease or symptom without being re-evaluated by your doctor. Having your prescription expire after one year is a way to influence individuals to continue to make appointments with their doctor.
As mentioned above, it is nearly impossible to visually tell if Adderall has expired or begun to chemically degrade. However, studies show that in general, it takes a considerable amount of time for degradation to occur for most drugs.
The US military and the FDA conducted a study in the 1980's on the potency of expired drugs, as they had a large stock of expired or soon to be expired drugs that would soon need replenishing, a costly endeavor. The study found that the vast majority of drugs were safe and retained enough potency to be effective well past the labeled expiration date (including some drugs that had been expired for over 10 years). This led to the 'Shelf Life Extension Program', a program that allows the stockpiling of potentially important medications past their expiration date for emergency use.
Medication Storage
How medication is stored plays a huge role in stability. Exposure to light, air, humidity, and extreme temperatures can greatly affect the how fast a drug degrades. While "stock" (i.e. original manufacturer packaging) bottles in pharmacies are stored under ideal conditions, once a medication is dispensed to an individual, it is more likely to degrade faster as they are often stored outside ideal conditions.
Be sure to follow the listed storage directions for your prescription product.
Most Adderall products should be stored between 68° To 77°F, outside of direct light and excess humidity.
Summary
- It is not recommended to take expired Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) as it may have lost potency over time and may not be as effective.
- It is important to see your doctor if you have expired Adderall so they may re-evaluate your condition and refill your prescription if appropriate.
