Krasnoyarsk residents were warned about the dangers of using expired medications

Olga Veselova, head of the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology of Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, warned residents of the regional capital about the dangers of using expired medications.

The regional Ministry of Health said that the shelf life of drugs is established on the basis of studies on the safety and security of the so-called pharmaceutical substance. It is within the specified time frame that it maintains stability. If the package says: “until such and such a month of such and such a year,” this means that the drug is valid until the last day of the specified month.

Some drugs have two expiration dates: before opening and after opening the package. This applies, for example, to eye drops. When we open the package, sterility is broken, which can lead to the entry and proliferation of pathogenic microflora. And if the medicine is stored incorrectly, unnecessary biochemical reactions may occur in it.

“You should absolutely not take expired medicine. At best, it will be ineffective, at worst, its toxic effect may appear. Such cases are known. For example, long-term storage of tetracyclines produces oxidized products that can cause Fanconi syndrome, a potentially fatal disease that impairs kidney function. Or another example: nitroglycerin, if stored incorrectly, will quickly lose its properties and, if necessary, will not have the desired effect. This is one of the reasons why it was removed from car first aid kits: it does not tolerate temperature changes,” explained Olga Veselova.

The effectiveness and safety of the drug are affected by temperature, humidity, and light. The manufacturer always writes on how to store the drug on the packaging or package insert, as well as in the instructions for medical use. It is important to develop the habit of reading this information

If the appearance of the medicine differs from what is described, then taking it is also not recommended. After all, this can ultimately lead to disastrous consequences. The best solution would be to get rid of the unsafe drug. However, you need to remember that drugs belong to the fourth hazard class out of five. Therefore, they should not be thrown away with household waste.

“Unsafe drugs should not reach children, certain social groups and animals. Today, throughout the world, great attention is paid to the proper disposal of drugs. And Krasnoyarsk is one of the few cities that has its own system for recycling expired or unnecessary drugs,” noted the head of the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology of Krasnoyarsk State Medical University.

Let us recall that earlier it became known that residents of the Krasnoyarsk Territory began to become less likely to be poisoned by alcohol, drugs, medications and die from it. WITHrays of poisoning of chemical etiology have become 14.3% less, such data in October 2025 cited Rospotrebnadzor.

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