Does Lorazepam Expire

3 Topics Found

I have an old script of expired Lorazepam from 4 years ago. Is it still safe to take? ## It doesn't become dangerous, once expired, but it may start to lose effectiveness. If it is in a bottle as dispensed from you pharmacy, it would have expired a year from the date it was dispensed. If it's that old, my suggestion would be best to dispose of it and obtain a new supply, if you still need this medication. However, on the contrary, according to Harvard University’s Medical Center, “Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from thei...

1 REPLY Filed under Lorazepam

Are the 18 month old 1 mg pills of lorazepam fully effective? Or likely to be? Thank you. ## Hello, Steph! How are you? Under normal storage conditions, they can only be guaranteed to be effective for one year from the date they were dispensed to you. After that, they being to lose effectiveness, though there have been no studies done to determine the percentages of efficacy lost after that. Once they are expired, it is best to dispose of them and see your doctor for a new prescription. This medication carries the risk of being habit forming and may cause side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, headache and irritability. Is there anything else I can help with? ## Thanks. what are the shapes and colors of the different strengths?

2 REPLIES Filed under Lorazepam

I am a hospice nurse and the discussion has come up as to the shelf life of the narcotics that we use such as Ativan,Morphine, Dilaudid. Is there a blanket time that we can use for all narcotics that have expired expiration dates on the label. ## Okay first, Ativan is not a narcotic, it contains the active ingredient Lorazepam, which is a Benzodiazepine, so rather than treating pain, it is used to treat anxiety, nervous disorders and some severe cases of insomnia. Learn more: And second no, dispensing expired medications to your patients would be considered illegal under U.S. law. Are there any other questions? ## Calm down, Nurse Nancy geeesh ## Um. Yes, lorazepam IS a narcotic... Narcotic does not mean "illicit drug", that does not make any sense. The way that I see it, people...

9 REPLIES Filed under Ativan

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