Having old antibiotics - is it safe?

I've found some old antibiotics which I got in Feb this year after the GP said I had a throat infection. I think, well 95% sure that I have the same sinus throat ear infection, so is it safe to take the antibiotics left from earlier this year?

Love BlueAngel x

Reply 1

Bubblebee

No it isn't. And you should have finished the entire course of antibiotics... not finishing makes virus's immune to treatment its wrong!

oopsie

Why don't you just go to the docs again and get some new ones?

Reply 4

AngelofnoColour

well that would be monday and im at work til late evening, all week, so cant.

Reply 5

AngelofnoColour

just looking at some home remedies, salt and water etc.. that will do for now :frown:

Reply 6

Bubblebee

Dissolve some aspirin in a cup of slightly warm water and gargle with it... if your glands are up then take ibruprofen. I have tonsilitis at the moment and feel like ****e and the doc wont give me anything for it so i know how you feel!

Reply 7

generalebriety

Short, simplified biology quiz. Using antibiotics kills off the bacteria that give you infections and make you ill. The antibiotics work constantly killing the bacteria as you take your course of them. Obviously the first antibiotic will kill a few easy, weak, pathetic bacteria, till it "runs out", and then you take another antibiotic which will kill the next easiest bacteria to kill (although less of them, because it's harder). You carry on taking antibiotics which carry on killing the easy bacteria, more and more slowly. Then suddenly one day your symptoms stop, so you stop taking the antibiotics early. Which of the following happens?

a) You have successfully killed all the bacteria. Congratulations! Throw the antibiotics away.
b) You have killed nearly all the bacteria. In fact there aren't enough left to show any symptoms of an infection. Unfortunately, the bacteria left are incredibly strong compared to your original infection, recover from the antibiotic effects and double in numbers every 20 minutes.

Click here for answer and my advice.

Spoiler

Reply 8

generalebriety

wesetters

That's true, but yes, the antibiotics should be safe. Drugs have "best-before" codes ahead by about a year to be on the safe side, so there should be no problem.

True, but it's unfortunate that someone should just have antibiotics randomly lying around from the last time they got the same illness. :biggrin:

I suppose if people didn't they wouldn't need best before dates...

Reply 9

Sheen

Bubblebee

No it isn't. And you should have finished the entire course of antibiotics... not finishing makes virus's immune to treatment its wrong!

yeah thats true.
when given medication you must finish the entire course or it because yeah the virus can come back...it might not but its more likely too.
if youve had them for over a year i dont think its wise.
medication boxes usually have an best before date on them.
why not just call you doc up and tell him whats wrong and he could give you a repeat priscription if he thinks you need it so that way you dont have to wait around at the doctors you just go there collect the form and leave