– Only HALF of us check expiry dates before taking medication
– Twice as many men use expired medication as women
– 45% of NI medicine cabinets are stocked with Out of Date pharmaceuticals
We might clear our food cupboards out on a regular basis, but the one drawer people across the nation are forgetting to pay attention to is their medicine cabinet. With 95% of UK householders having a dedicated medicine cabinet at home, a survey by Asda Pharmacy has revealed that on average, the contents are more than five years old.
Nearly 15% of the nation is unaware that medicines have expiry dates, and only half check expiry dates before taking medication. A third of us see no harm in taking expired medicines, especially the younger generation (18-24 year olds). Out of the remaining two thirds, despite knowing there may be risks involved, only 4% of people would seek medical advice after using expired products.
The longevity also rule holds true in Northern Ireland, where 45% of the population’s cabinets are stocked with medicines which are at least three years old. 18% of those surveyed believe there is no harm in taking out of date medicines – with the exception being antibiotics where 62% regard it as ‘risky’ if it had exceeded its expiry date.
The majority of the UK expect medication to lose effectiveness after it expires as opposed to being potentially dangerous, and as many as 38% will use medication until it runs out, regardless of its expiry date.
Men are twice as likely as women to risk taking out of date medication, but fifty percent of women surveyed tend to buy medication on the go making it easier to lose track of when items were purchased.
Eye care is the one area where we become cautious, closely followed by antibiotics. However, we see no harm in applying skin care products that are out of date with a shocking one out of six people admitting to using out of date baby products.
Across other regions…
– those in the south of England are twice as likely as northerners to check expiry dates on their medication.
– People from the Midlands and Wales have the safest attitudes, with over 40% never wanting to risk taking out of date medication
– Londoners throw caution to the wind as a quarter see no harm in taking expired medication
Asda’s superindentent pharmacist Faisal Tuddy says:
“Just like food, tablets have an expiry date and storage instructions. I’d advise to monitor medicines in the same way you would the food you eat, that’s the simplest way to explain it. We throw away out of date food with no questions and wouldn’t dream of eating it, the same should apply to your family’s medication.”
Top tips from Asda Pharmacy:
- Check expiry dates regularly and return any out of date medication to your local pharmacy as they may not be safe, or they may no longer be effective
- Have one dedicated cabinet where all pharmaceutical products are stored, that way you can keep an eye on everything you have in the home
- Ensure you store the medicine properly and according to its instructions – most medication comes with advice on how and where to store it
- Never use other people’s medication
- Be especially cautious on using products past the sell by date on babies and young children
- If your medicine looks, tastes or smells different to when you first got it (even if it’s within the expiry date) then take it to your pharmacy for advice
- Many medicines have short expiry dates: antibiotic mixtures and eye drops for example
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