When does Doxycycline expire? (+3 cons of expired Doxycycline)
By
Dr Natalia Marceli Stephanes (PhD)
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/
When does Doxycycline expire?
Doxycycline usually expires after 3-4 years of its manufacturing date. However, the shelf life of Doxycycline depends on how it was dispensed. If your pharmacist filled it up in a prescription bottle, it is considered good for a year.
This is because filling a prescription requires your pharmacist to change the original packaging of the drug, which is provided by the manufacturers.
If you have Doxycycline in its original packaging, it can stay good for up to 3-4 years. However, this antibiotic should not be used without a prescription.
What are the dangers associated with the use of expired Doxycycline?
Although expired medications are not considered harmful, Doxycycline is one of the few medications that can actually become toxic. It is an antibiotic and such meds should not be used once they are past the expiration dates (1).
Studies suggest that Doxycycline not only loses its potency over time, but the formulation also changes its chemical composition with time as a result of drug-excipient interaction and chemical degradation of the active pharmaceutical ingredient. This is why the FDA advises against extending the expiry date of the medication. (2,3).
This indicates that Doxycycline slowly starts to become toxic and it can affect your health. A few possibilities include:
- A severe allergic reaction associated with symptoms like redness of the skin, itching, burning sensation, painful blisters, blue-purple patches, tightness of chest, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, hoarseness, etc. Swelling of lips, eyes, tongue, and throat can also occur.
- Mild to severe damage to the kidneys, depending on the amount of expired Doxycycline taken.
- Liver damage, which also depends on the quantity of the drug. Doxycycline, in general, is considered hepatotoxic (4).
- Worsening of infections, as the original chemical properties of the drug begin to change.
What to do if you have taken expired Doxycycline?
If you have taken an expired Doxycycline dose and you begin to feel unusual or see any sign of an allergic reaction in your body, immediately reach out to your healthcare provider.
You may need something to control the ongoing allergy in your body and it’s not recommended to just wait for it to subside on its own. If you don’t feel anything after taking expired Doxycycline, you don’t have to worry.
However, you need to make sure that you don’t take another dose of the expired med as taking more of it can cause kidney damage. Always check the expiry date on the packaging of the drug before you consume it.
Expired antibiotics in general do not turn toxic, including antibiotics like Penicillin, Amoxicillin, etc. However, some of these medications do become toxic after expiration and Doxycycline is one of them. So, the use of expired antibiotics should never be encouraged.
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References
1.-
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 21]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/dont-be-tempted-use-expired-medicines.
2.-
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Expiration date extensions of certain lots of doxycycline hyclate capsules [Internet]. 2023 updated [cited 2022 Oct 21]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/mcm-legal-regulatory-and-policy-framework/expiration-date-extensions-certain-lots-doxycycline-hyclate-capsules
3.-
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Finalizes Guidance on Extending Stockpiled Doxycycline Expiration Dates [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2022 Oct 21]. Available from: https://www.raps.org/News-and-Articles/News-Articles/2019/4/FDA-Finalizes-Guidance-on-Extending-Stockpiled-Dox
4.-
LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012–. Doxycycline. 2019 Jan 23. PMID: 31643675. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548353
