How many times have you come across expired pills in your medicine cabinet and wondered  whether they we still safe to use? It’s pretty common, and often we consider using the medicine anyway, because we don’t have a prescription to get more, for example, or simply don’t want to waste what we already have.

In early 2022, Censuswide conducted a survey on behalf of online pharmacist Chemist4U. It found that 36% of the UK residents surveyed said they had taken expired medicine in the past. That goes against official advice found on the NHS website though, which reads: “Medicines have expiry dates so you know when to use them by. After the expiry date medicines may not be safe or as effective.”

Is safety compromised more for some types of medicine than others? What's the best way to store medicines to preserve their active ingredients? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 8/11/2023

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