Hydrocodone Cough Syrup

Updated

There is no expiration date on this cough medicine. It is hydrocodone-chlorpheniram that was filled on 9/2/14. Is this still safe to take?

3 Replies

Earliest Newest Votes
1

Hi Jackie,

According to studies represented by Harvard University and the LA Times Newspaper, hydrocodone can reportedly last anywhere from 10-40 years past the expiration date, depending on the conditions in which it is stored.

Chlorpheniramine on the other hand is something I'm not so sure of (when it comes to long term studies); however, GlaxoSmithKline a UK-based drug manufacturer denotes a shelf life of 3 years for their Chlorpheniramine tablets.

I understand that your product is liquid rather than a tablet, but if it were me in this position I'd probably feel some sense of security if it were stored in a cool, dry and dark environment.

That said, there's certainly a probability of it being safe, but there's also no substitute for fresh ingredients at the top of their efficacy.

Was this helpful? 1
2

David

Seriously ??10 to 40 YEARS can you kindly post the source and reference to this article. It just defies any form of logic consideration that a suspension , liquid, and or syrup containing hydrocodone as the primary active ingredient . We anxiously await your reply.

Was this helpful? 0
3

@Gettingirright,

I realize it may be hard to fathom, but here are the sources for reference:

1). latimes.com/2012/oct/08/news/la-heb-expired-drugs-still-work-study

2). health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything

NOTE: This particular article by Harvard isn’t the same one I read a while back, but it still illustrates the same point. The article by the LA Times does however denote hydrocodone as one of the drugs that retained 90% of its concentration 28-40 years later.

Please also note that I did not state in my reply that these figures refer to liquid / syrup hydrocodone specifically, so please don’t get the wrong idea there. All I’m doing is providing the scientific consensus that the expiration dates are loose figures at best.

Was this helpful? 1

More Discussions:

Hydrocodone Syrup

i have a headache that seems to not respond to any pain medicine, but when i take hydrocodone alone, i get a little reli...

1 REPLY
cough medicine with hydrocodone

homotropoline with hydrocodone A 140 ## The pill which you are describing is Homatropine methylbromide (1.5 mg) + Hydroc...

1 REPLY
Hydrocodone Chlorpheniram Syrup

what color is the cough syrup suppose to be I sent someone to the drug store to pick up my prescription and dont know if...

4 REPLIES
Hydrocodone 7 5 325 Tab vs Hydrocodone 7 5 325 Syrup

Hi, I was having inconsistent relief with the tabs and my doc switched me to the syrup. The syrup works, but not very lo...

1 REPLY
how many teaspoons of hydrocodone acetaminophen syrup 7.5 325mg dose it take tll

How many teaspoons of hydrocodone acetaminophen syrup 7.5 325mg dose it take to equal one 7.5 325mg pill need to know ho...

1 REPLY
Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen 10/325 by Mallinckrodt

My pharmacy changed my meds from the yellow 10-325 v 3601 norco to the 10-325 white m367 mallinckrodt. I've been tak...

189 REPLIES
Hydrocodone pill that says u03

Has anyone seen a hydrocodone pill that has u03 on it? ## There actually are white oval-shaped pills marked with U03 tha...

104 REPLIES
hydrocodone 2172

Hey, i got these pills today from walgreens and i have taken 3 so far and still no affect on my pain. Has anyone else ha...

95 REPLIES
hydrocodone - impossible to get in the uk...?

I am currently on an oxycodone m/r script, and find that it certainly does not last for the claimed twelve hours per tab...

77 REPLIES
hydrocodone ip 115

My pharmacy just switched to the Avkare brand of Norco 7.5. The imprint on it is IP 115. I feel like these do not work a...

73 REPLIES