[joecool1029]

> I was strongly under the impression that medications with expiration dates do not become dangerous after their expiration, but they may be less effective.

A few like tetracyclines can become dangerous, apparently that's caused Fanconi syndrome and other kidney problems in a few cases. But that drug is the exception rather than the norm, but since I used to keep doxycycline around for treating Lyme I made sure it was stored in a cool/dry area and never got too far past the expired date.

Aspirin is a pretty easy one to tell if it's past its prime, it'll smell like vinegar as it decays into acetic acid. This falls into the 'loses its potency' category where the thing it decays into isn't harmful.

[kragen]

if my reading of the shelf life extension program paper from 02006 is correct, doxycycline is especially good at surviving past its expiry date. maybe manufacturers are especially conservative about doxycycline expiration dates due to the toxicity risk? the paper didn't mention toxicity risk or safety at all