Posted: 3/15/2009 5:30:43 PM EDT
I just found a bottle of it from last year. The force protection doc gave me the 'script before a deployment that I ended up not going on (f'in work center wouldn't let me go  ).
Anyways, I've had it since about Oct last year, and I was wondering how long this stuff keeps. I figure keeping it in case of a rainy day couldn't hurt. |
| it should be ok for quite a while. The only reason they put an expiration date on it to begin with is for the FDA. I used to work in a hospital pharmacy and there was a drug called Suprol......we got new in and there was a small sticker over the original expiration date (from factory) that added 3 more years onto what was originally printed on the package. |
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In unit dose blisters or a bottle?
Blisters or an original factory sealed bottle will last longer than a 'scrip bottle. Either way it will be effective beyond the expiration date but will eventually lose potency. Figure a year or more after expiration. The .gov has tons of Cipro stored for a bio emergency. So much that they cannot rotate through it. I'm certain they plan on dispensing "outdated" product if the need were to arise. I would hang on to it for a while longer. YMMV |
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Keep meds cool, dry & dark (not frozen)
.mil has the SLEP (Shelf Life Extension Program) and tests potency after the expiration date. Off the shelf is good for 3 years. SLEP testing gives Cipro another 10 IF stored properly. http://www.usamma.army.mil/documents/SLEPInfoPaper-Mar2005.pdf ETA: Meds have differing lives and must be tested individually. |