Sandy asked
I live in Texas and I left my Yaz in my car all day. It got up to around 80 degrees. Can I still use it or do I need to get a replacement?
At a glance
- If Yaz (or any other birth control pill) has been stored outside the recommended storage conditions, such as in a hot car, there is a chance it could be negatively affected in terms of potency or stability. It would be prudent to get a replacement prescription.
Answer
Anytime a medication is stored outside the recommended storage conditions for an extended period of time, there is a risk it could be less stable or lose potency.
Although there aren't many studies on the matter in regard to birth control like Yaz specifically, other studies have shown that both high temperature and humidity can accelerate drug decomposition, potentially making them less effective.
Therefore, it is important to know the recommended storage conditions for your medication.
Yaz, and most other birth control products are recommended to be stored at 'room temperature'. From the prescribing information for Yaz:
Store at 25° C (77° F); excursions permitted to 15–30° C (59–86° F) [See USP Controlled Room Temperature].
The problem with your situation is that you don't know the temperatures your birth control was exposed to when it was in the car.
Additionally, you also need to consider that the temperature in the car was likely much higher than the temperature outside, which could mean that the medication was outside the high end of the storage range (86° F).
Since we are missing some information, it is difficult to know what exactly the state of your medication is.
Certainly, some drug products, like insulin, will quickly lose potency if stored outside the recommended conditions. The good news is, for Yaz, it isn't likely to be significantly affected by being in a hot car.
According to some studies, most non-refrigerated solid dosage forms (e.g. tablets or capsules) are more at risk for the actual product being affected (e.g. Yaz tablets crumbling) rather than a loss of stability or potency.
Nevertheless, due to the potential consequences of using Yaz, or any other birth control pill for that matter, that may have been negatively affected by heat, it is recommended to get a replacement pill pack, just to be safe.
References
- Impact of temperature exposure on stability of drugs in a real-world out-of-hospital setting. PubMed
- Stability Testing of Pharmaceutical Products. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science
- Yaz Prescribing Information. AccessFDA
