What is the shelf-life of Prednisone? 

What is the shelf-life of Prednisone? 

The shelf life of Prednisone is around 2-3 years. However, there are a lot of factors that can affect the quality of Prednisone during its shelf-life, especially storage conditions. If the drug is stored at extremely high or lower temperatures, it will most likely start to degrade much earlier (1).

In the case of Prednisone, it’s okay to store it at room temperature if it’s below 30°C. It is also important to make sure that you don’t leave the med open for too long. 

Air exposure can not only make your medication susceptible to bacterial growth, but it can also result in the oxidation of any of the sensitive ingredients present in the formulation. If stored under ideal conditions, Prednisone can easily outlive its shelf-life. 

Can Prednisone be taken after its shelf-life? 

You can take Prednisone after it has lived its shelf-life under ideal conditions. The drug doesn’t necessarily go bad right after it’s expired. However, it may lose its effectiveness with time as the active ingredient loses its potency. 

If your Prednisone has recently expired, you can take it safely. However, if it expired more than a year ago, I would not recommend using it, especially for severe health conditions. The Food and Drug Administration generally recommends against the use of expired meds (2).

What are the dangers of taking Prednisone after its shelf-life? 

There isn’t much to worry about taking Prednisone after its shelf-life as the medication does not turn toxic. However, if it has lost its therapeutic efficacy, you will not achieve the clinical response you’re hoping for. 

This will most likely result in therapeutic failure and you will not find any relief in your condition. This is why it’s best to take Prednisone with an active shelf-life. 

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References

1.-

PubChem [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004-. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 5755, Prednisolone; [cited 2022 Nov. 17]. Available from: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Prednisolone

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 Nov. 17]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/dont-be-tempted-use-expired-medicines.