Can You Take Expired Baclofen?
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses whether or not taking expired baclofen is safe.
Can I take Baclofen that has expired?
Jun 14, 2022- Expired baclofen may lose potency and become less effective at treating your symptoms, though it's unlikely to cause harm.
- You cannot tell by looking at baclofen whether it has degraded or lost its strength.
- Get a new prescription from your doctor rather than taking expired baclofen unless you're in an emergency situation.
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Taking Expired Baclofen Isn't Recommended
In general, you should not take prescription medication that has expired, and this includes baclofen.
Expired baclofen may not be as potent as it was when it was in date, which may lead to it being ineffective. There is no data to suggest that expired baclofen will cause harm, but again, it just may not work as well.
Now, one of the challenges with expired drugs is that it is often impossible to tell if they have degraded or lost potency, as there are few, if any, tell-tale signs aside from tablet degradation.
Baclofen that has degraded has no distinct or demonstrable signs that clearly indicate the drug is no longer good.
Your best bet is to refill your baclofen prescription, or obtain a new one from your doctor, so you can trust that you are taking medication that will work as intended.
Where Do Drug Expiration Dates Come From?
The vast majority of drugs are labeled by the manufacturer with an expiration date and this date reflects the time period during which the product is expected to remain stable (as long as it is stored under the proper conditions).
To determine these dates, drug manufacturers will perform stability tests at certain storage conditions to determine how quickly they degrade over time.
Most (but not all) oral drugs will last years when stored under proper conditions, but most manufacturers perform these tests only for a finite period of time (generally 2-3 years).
It's entirely possible that the drug will still retain its labeled potency well after the labeled expiration date, but if there is no specific data for a particular drug, it won't be dated farther out in the future.
In fact, most studies suggest that the majority of drugs retain their potency well after the labeled expiration date, sometimes up to 10 years or longer.
Due to this, the FDA created the 'Shelf Life Extension Program', which allows for the storage of a number of expired drugs (such as antibiotics) for emergency use as there is a reasonable assumption they will still be effective.
Final Words
Going back to focusing on expired baclofen, as mentioned, there is just no telling if it still retains its labeled potency.
In all likelihood, it will still be somewhat effective, and won't cause harm in the sense that it has degraded into some toxic byproduct. The only harm it will cause is if it does not work well enough to treat your symptoms.
Unless you are in some sort of emergency, you should get a new prescription for it.
References & sources
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Potency
- The strength or effectiveness of a medication to produce its intended effect.
- Baclofen
- A prescription muscle relaxant medication used to treat muscle spasms and stiffness.
- Degraded
- When a medication breaks down over time and loses its quality or effectiveness.
- Stability tests
- Laboratory tests manufacturers perform to determine how long a drug remains safe and effective under different storage conditions.
- Expiration date
- The date assigned by a manufacturer indicating when a medication is no longer guaranteed to be safe and effective.
- Toxic byproduct
- A harmful substance created when a medication breaks down chemically.
- Shelf Life Extension Program
- An FDA program that allows expired medications to be stored and used in emergencies when they are believed to still be effective.
- Oral drugs
- Medications taken by mouth, such as tablets or capsules.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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