Shelf Life Of Ativan

Updated

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.

9 Replies

Earliest Newest Votes
1

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:

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Ativan/­

And second no, dispensing expired medications to your patients would be considered illegal under U.S. law.

Are there any other questions?

Was this helpful? 2
2

Calm down, Nurse Nancy

geeesh

Was this helpful? 3
3

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 only use the term "narcotic" acephaleously; generally, you hear it from law enforcement officers and the like.

A narcotic is soporific drug, it's in the word itself, narco - which means sleep.
So all drugs that cause narcosis can be considered a narcotic, and although I hear people call compounds such as methamphetamine "illicit narcotics", I strongly believe that saying such a thing is too contradictory to even be taken seriously.

Lorazepam, a narcotic, just like all benzodiazepines. They all cause sedation, and narcosis at high enough dose just like all CNS depressants do.

Was this helpful? 3
4

Lorazepam is not a narcotic. It is a benzodiazepine.

Was this helpful? 0
5

nar·cot·ic [när'kädik] NOUN - A drug or other substance affecting mood or behavior and sold for non-medical purposes, especially an illegal one.

ADJECTIVE - relating to or denoting narcotics or their effects or use: "the substance has a mild narcotic effect"
synonyms: soporific · [more]

Was this helpful? 0
6

I have some clonazepam that's about 5yrs old and it still works like a new prescription.

Was this helpful? 7
7

I am searching for a new doctor as mine has retired. All offices ask me if I am on any narcotics. I am on Lorazepam for the reason of insomnia. Is this a controlled drug or a narcotic? It is 3mg at nite

Was this helpful? 0
8

It's actually a Benzodiazepines, not a narcotic. Benzodiazepines suppress the nervous system and are prescribed for a variety of reasons including insomnia and anxiety. They are a controlled substance, under the Controlled Substances Act and are classified as Schedule IV drugs under depressants.

Was this helpful? 0
9

Why are doctors reluctant to take me as a patient when I am on just 3 mg Ativan for sleep? I do not abuse it.

Was this helpful? 0

More Discussions:

shelf life of clindamycin 150 capsules

I have some clindamycin capsules from a year and 5 months ago, are they still good? ## Clindamycin loses effectiveness o...

11 REPLIES
Shelf life of Baclofen

My son takes Baclofen for muscle spasms. He was feeling much better and quit taking it. He recently started getting the ...

5 REPLIES
Shelf Life Of Amoxicillin

What antibiotic has a shelf life of 10 years? ## I don't know of any that have that long of a shelf life and I can&#...

5 REPLIES
Shelf Life of Seconal

I have 100mg red Seconal Capsules filled in Feb, 2008. The expiration date is July, 09. I keep them in a bag in a dark c...

4 REPLIES
shelf life of orphenadrine

It was issued on June of 2011 to me for pain I don't see an expiration date. My pain is back. Is it safe to use it? ...

3 REPLIES
shelf life of medication

What us the shelf life for potassium chloride 20 meq er? ## Hello, Beatrice! How are you? If it is in a pharmacy dispens...

3 REPLIES
Shelf Life Of Morphine Pills

I have morphine pills that I want to take for a kidney stone (I get them frequently, so I know that it is a kidney stone...

3 REPLIES
shelf life of apo tramadol acet 37.5/325

I have the above which was prescribed for pain for surgery I had in 2011. Is this drug still safe and effective? ## Hell...

2 REPLIES
Shelf life of ranitidine 300mg

My ranitidine 300mg tablet was made on November 5th, 2016. When is my ranitidine tablet going to expire? ## If they are ...

2 REPLIES
Shelf Life Of Bactrim

shelf life of bactrim ## If it's in the original factory sealed container, then it's good for about 3 years from...

2 REPLIES