Cough Syrup - Hydrocodone and Homatropine expiration?

I recently got a prescription for cough syrup containing Hydrocodone and Homatropine, I have one refill and I will probably only use half of the first one.

I thought it might be a good item to keep in storage for emergencies later on. Does anyone have any ideas how long this stuff will last before you shouldn't use it anymore?

Is it possible to use this for pain relief even though it is in syrup form? I know you have to be careful not to take too much at one time I'm just wondering if it could be used to relieve pain in an emergency.

 

A good pharmacist can answer that.

 

I wonder that the difference between "shouldnt use" and will cause more harm than help is. What is it that happens to these medications that makes them go "bad"? Are they actually dangerous? Or is it just hype so you have to buy more next time?

I had a theory that the real plan is that they want you to throw out your old medication so that they don't have to worry about drug interactions later on.

For instance lets say you get drug xyz now and you dont throw it out. So in two years you get prescribed drug yyz, and it has an interaction problem with drug xyz. The pharmacist does not have to worry about drug xyz from 2 years ago because it went bad and you should have thrown it out.

Maybe I'm rambling. I took some cold medicine this morning...

 

We have a good friend who is a clinical pharmacist and she says that both Oxycodone and Hydrocodone tablets begin to lose potency after roughly 2 years...but are usable up to twice that. Those times are based on sitting in a drawer or cabinet in an unsealed but closed container, and can be extended "somewhat" by storage in a dark, sealed environment where the temperature remains between about 60 and 80 degrees and the humidity is low.

Something interesting on a related subject that I have learned recently might be of interest to any disabled vet Monkeys...The VA medical system is apparently pretty free with Hydrocodone up to about 90 7.5 mg tablets per month for chronic joint pain. On the other hand, they tightly control other painkillers such as Oxycodone and Methadone because of their street popularity. (our friend works at a local VA clinic and is being "trained" in prepping)

 

I don't know about the homatropine, but i have taken codine cough syrup that was about 1 1/2 years past the date with no problems.

 

I could keep it in a paper bag int he fridge too. I'm just thinking it could come in handy in an extended emergency.

I'm prone to sinus infections too, that worries me because if it gets bad without antibiotics it could turn into a life threatening sickness. Right now my only plan is use a Neti Pot to keep an infection from setting in.

 

This is a bit of hijack, sorry.

Start using the neti pot now, if you are not already. I have suffered from chronic sinus infections since adolescence. I would always get at least two per year and they took too long to knock out. I now have an allergy to penicillin and sulfa-based antibiotics. When the sulfa allergy popped up, I started getting very nervous about my own future needs for antibiotics and having limited options which get even narrower wtshtf.

A coworker had been urging me to try the neti pot for about two years. I finally broke down and get one. I've been using it for a little over one year now and I am astonished. My allergies and sinuses have never been better. I have not gotten an infection and even more surprising, I haven't had so much as a cold!

Give it a try. Its weird at first, but you'll get used to it quickly. I've been using prepacked salt mixtures, but I'm going to start mixing my own soon.

Give it a try. If you stick with it for a week or two, I know you wont turn back!

 

Yep, I've been using it for the past few years everyday. It is great, even if you don't have bad allergies it feels good cleaning out the sinuses. Before that I would get sinus infections every time I started to get sick but since then I don't think I have had a full blown sinus infection in years. I have had to deal with bronchitis and strep a few times though.

I use all natural sea salt with no additives and it works fine.

I wish someone made a device that would preheat the water so you just go and fill the pot when you need it like a hot tea dispenser.

 

I just use it in the shower. The water is already up to temp.

The sea salt ... do you crush it up more or just give it longer to dissolve? Do you add a ph buffer? I've heard that baking soda is the way to go. Thoughts?

Also, for anyone reading, don't use iodized table salt.

 

I put warm water in the pot, put salt in, shake it up well (I use the sinus rinse bottle) and then let it sit for a few minutes and give it a good shake and it's all dissolved, I've always heard to use distilled water but that's a pain to warm up so I use tap water.

 

My mom takes a co-diene cough syrup regular from her doctor and she keeps multiple bottels on hand. When one of us gets sick she will give us a bottle. She said the drugist said it would be safe for a year or maybe two just keep it in a cool dark place. Light is the worst thing on alot of meds

 

hydrocodone etc

hey folks,

new here, however have traveled extensively in central america helping folks with medical missions. we use lots, that means LOTS of expired drugs, antibiotics, anesthetics, analgesics and the like. some IV, some PO, or IM in route of administration. almost all without exception work just fine. think ala the expiration dates in your local grocery store. most of the expiration dates are for the last day of SALE... per the fda, usda, and their ilk. you can still use those eggs, etc at home, i especially love gooey veggies, but thats me i guess...haha. obviously, if your demerol or penicillin has mold or some other weird growth, it MIGHT not be appropriate for use. lots of things medical can be obtained on ebay. hospitals always have outdated stuff that the goodie twoshoe employees take home and stock up for their next mission. if you are not a professional health care individual, consult someone who is, and i mean professional, not some wannabe or ass**** who writes or talks about hair replacements, penile enhancement or wrinkle removal. get my meaning. this is serious stuff. become friends with those medical people, cause its hard to cram 12 years of medical education into a blog and practice it on your loved ones and friends. nuff said for now.

 

Does anyone have advice as far as using a syrup like this to relieve pain or is the pain pill form totally different?

 

I can't speak for this particular formula, but generally the dosage is much less in a cough syrup. I would be surprised if there was the equivalent of more than 4-5 pills in the whole bottle.

 

Holy crap!

They're really real! The end really is nigh!

Will definitely be picking up some of these today. All you naysayers had better get your heads screwed on right.

Byte

EDIT: Weird it says I don't have authorization to remove the links?

 

Byte,my computer shows that file to be infected...I would not want anyone to open it and risk it!

 

Which one? The weekly world news? Or the Hornady page?

I run ESET Smart Security 4.2.71.2 and it hasn't raised any red flags. That's not good news! I also run BetterPrivacy & Ghostery inside Firefox. What are you using that is flagging?

Byte

 

That article was made its rounds. I live in the Northern US with a 300 foot well that runs through a sediment filter then the softener. After that, it goes through the hot water heater then comes out my shower head. I'm not worried about the brain eaters.

My doctor and I were actually joking about it. We figured they were using swamp water to rinse.

 

Byte, it was the first link in your post. I use Norton.