Does Gabapentin expire? 

By Dr Natalia Marceli Stephanes (PhD)
Page last updated: 01/11/2023 | Next review date: 01/11/2025
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Author bio

Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes PhD is a Pharmacist with expertise in Drugs Administration and Toxicity; Discovery of New Drugs; Cancer Treatment; Biochemical Analyzes and Hematological Analyzes. She writes and reviews content on these topics.

Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes’ Highlights: 

  • Pharmacist at the Department of Health of Santa Catarina State, Brazil
  • PhD with a focus on oncology treatment
  • Years of experience in commercial pharmacy
  • Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina

 

Professional Experience:

 

From her undergraduate studies to her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Pharmacy, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has participated in numerous scientific studies in the field of oncology and onco-hematology at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Her research has focused on understanding the molecular and biochemical bases of malignant neoplasms and investigating safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives.

 

Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes has also served as an assistant professor of haematology for undergraduate students at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Additionally, she held the position of professor of Hospital Pharmacy at the Qualificar Technical School in Brazil, where she developed instructional materials for use in the Pharmacy Postgraduate Program at the Leonardo Da Vinci University Center.

 

In addition to her academic experiences, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes possesses a strong expertise in commercial pharmacy, with in-depth knowledge of medications, their routes of administration, desired effects, adverse effects, and toxicity.

 

Currently, Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes works as a Pharmacist at the Health Department of Santa Catarina State, where her role entails providing pharmaceutical scientific consulting services to judges.

 

Education:

 

  • 2016 Bachelor in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
  • 2018 Master in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
  • 2023 PhD in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil

 

The main publications of Dr Natália Marcéli Stephanes are:

 

Falchetti M ; Delgobo M, Zancanaro H, Almeida K, Das Neves RN, Dos Santos B, Stefanes NM, et al. Bishop Omics-based identification of an NRF2-related auranofin resistance signature in cancer: Insights into drug repurposing. Comput. Biol. Med [Internet]. 2023; 152:106347. 

 

Feuser PM, Matos dos Santos PC, Cordeiro AP, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Maioral MF, Santos-Silva MC, et al. Antineoplastic activity of free 4-nitrochalcone and encapsulated in poly(thioether-ester) nanoparticles obtained by thiol-ene polymerization in two human leukemia cell lines (Jurkat and K562). J Drug Deliv Sci Technol [Internet]. 2022; 67:102924.  

 

Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Walter LO, Perondi DM, Efe FL, Souza LFS, Sens L, et al. Synthesis of chalcones derived from 1-naphthylacetophenone and evaluation of their cytotoxic and apoptotic effects in acute leukemia cell lines. Bioorg. Chem [Internet]. 2021; 116:105315. 

 

Duarte BF, Vieira DSC, Lisboa ML, Stefanes NM, Grando LJ, Santos-Silva MC. Características clínico-epidemiológicas de pacientes portadores de carcinoma de células escamosas de boca. Arquivos Catarinenses de Medicina. 2021; 50(2): 232–245. 

 

Machado V, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Santos-Silva MC, Biavatti MW. Anti-leukemic activity of semisynthetic derivatives of Lupeol. Nat. Prod. Res.  2021; 35(22):4494-4501. 

 

Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Yunes RA, et al. A novel sulfonamide derivative as a strong and selective apoptotic agent against hematological malignancies. Chem. Pap. 2020; 74:2965–2976. 

 

Bigolin A, Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Cytotoxic mechanisms of primin, a natural quinone isolated from Eugenia hiemalis, on hematological cancer cell lines. Anticancer Drugs. 2020;  31(7):709-717.

 

Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Neufeldt PD, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Nunes RJ, Santos-Silva MC. Aldehyde biphenyl chalcones induce immunogenic apoptotic-like cell death and are promising new safe compounds against a wide range of hematologic cancers. Future Med. Chem. 2020; 12(8):673–688. 

 

Perondi DM, Jacques AV, Stefanes NM, Maioral MF, Sens L, Pacheco LA, Cury NM, et al. A novel thiosemicarbazone as a promising effective and selective compound for acute leukemia. Anticancer Drugs. 2019;  30(8):p 828-837. 

 

Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Argenta DF, Dotto MER, Santos-Silva MC, et al. PEO-chitosan nanofibers containing carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanoparticles loaded with pyrazoline for skin cancer treatment. Eur. Polym. J. 2019; 119:335-343. 

 

Rengifo AFC, Stefanes NM, Toigo J, Mendes C, Santos-Silva MC, Nunes RJ, Parize AL, et al. A new and efficient carboxymethyl-hexanoyl chitosan/dodecyl sulfate nanocarrier for a pyrazoline with antileukemic activity. Mater. Sci. Eng. C [Internet]. 2019; 105:110051. 

 

Maioral MF, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Zatelli GA, Philippus AC, Falkenberg MB, Santos-Silva MC. Miconidine acetate, a new selective and cytotoxic compound with synergic potential, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in leukemia cells. Invest. New Drugs. 2019; 37:912–922. 

 

Srefanes NM, Toigo J, Maioral MF, Jacques AV, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Perondi DM, Ribeiro AAB, et al. Synthesis of novel pyrazoline derivatives and the evaluation of death mechanisms involved in their antileukemic activity. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2019; 27(2):375-382. 

 

Maioral MF, Bodack CN, Stefanes NM, Bigolin A, Mascarello A, Chiaradia-Delatorre LD, Yunes RA, et al. Cytotoxic effect of a novel naphthylchalcone against multiple cancer cells focusing on hematologic malignancies. Biochim. 2017; 140:48-57. 

 

You can view some of Dr Natália’s work below and links to her professional profile below. 

 

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Natalia-Stephanes

 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliamarceli/

 


Dr Natalia Marceli Stephanes (PhD)
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Does Gabapentin expire? 

Yes, Gabapentin expires in about 3 to 4 years after its manufacturing date. It is strongly not recommended to take Gabapentin once the drug has expired. 

The entire purpose of the expiry date is the way of telling you that the manufacturers are not sure about the safety and efficacy of medication after a certain amount of time. This is why no one knows how dangerous it can be for some people. 

What are the dangers associated with the use of expired Gabapentin? 

Expired Gabapentin can become life-threatening for some people. Studies show that Gabapentin starts to become either ineffective or more powerful once it’s past the expiration date. 

This means that the chemical change in Gabapentin after its expiration date can make the drug more chemically active, and hence it can cause a number of prominent side effects even at standard doses. Some of the common possibilities include (1):


This is why you should not take expired Gabapentin which is no longer under the manufacturer’s guarantee and talk to your doctor for a new prescription (2). 

If Gabapentin becomes ineffective, it won’t be able to help you with your symptoms. Gabapentin can be used to treat conditions, like epilepsy, chronic pain, IBS, etc. Gabapentin does not work immediately, and you need to take it properly to make the most out of it.

It is also important to make sure that you do not use Gabapentin for random symptoms, like headaches, muscle pains, toothaches, etc. Unnecessary use of medications can lead to disturbing side effects.

What to do if you have taken expired Gabapentin? 

If you have taken expired Gabapentin, you should talk to your healthcare provider. Higher doses of expired Gabapentin can become life-threatening, especially if the chemical change in the drug has made it more powerful. 

Gabapentin can drastically slow down your respiratory system and can cause seizures. This is why you should be extremely careful with using meds like Gabapentin which can affect your brain. 

If the drug is past its expiry date, simply throw it away to prevent any accidental dose administration. Always check the expiry date before taking Gabapentin. 

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References

1.-

Quintero GC. Review about gabapentin misuse, interactions, contraindications and side effects. J Exp Pharmacol. 2017 Feb 9;9:13-21. doi: 10.2147/JEP.S124391. PMID: 28223849; PMCID: PMC5308580. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28223849/

2.-

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Don’t Be Tempted to Use Expired Medicines [Internet]. Silver Spring (MD): U.S. Food and Drug Administration; 2021 [cited 2022 Oct 14]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/dont-be-tempted-use-expired-medicines.