How important are expiration dates on over-the-counter meds?

It will depend a lot on how they have been stored. There is a reasonable safety margin built into the expiry dates.

I never throw them out. I have used meds 8 years after the expiration date and I’m still around.
Of course I now have some odd twitches now and then.

can we get a doctor over here for a more suitable response???

Beyond the expiration date most medications simply begin to lose potency gradually over time, meaning that it might require a larger quantity to achieve the same effect. It’s extremely rare for substances to actually turn harmful or poisonous after expiration. You can probably prolong the shelf life by refrigeration. It’s best, however, to discard expired meds—why play guessing games?

I know that Aspirin can turn rancid after quite a while, but you’ll be able to tell by how they smell.

The most important thing is to keep moisture from getting in which makes the bathroom medicine the absolutely the worst place to store them.

Any Ibuprophen I’ve ever bought is coated so less likely for moisture to affect it, as compared to Aspirin

@gasman has it. I’ve known of people keeping antibiotics for next time. But next time they are just a sugar pill so to speak.

The question was about over the counter medications. Here in the US antibiotics are not available OTC.

However, there are some antibiotics (I believe it’s Tetracyclines) which can be harmful past their expiration. If too long expired, there is the possibility of damage to the kidneys. I’ve read the warnings mentioning this.

Yes, 2 mins later I reread the question and saw that it was for OTC. I’m not one to pay much attention so I hope nothing too bad happens!! Sorry for answering an unasked question!