DR. ROBERT WALLACE: Mom flushes medicine down the toilet

Columnist

DR. WALLACE: I had a headache the other day and so I asked my mom for some ibuprofen. She went and got a bottle from her medicine cabinet and then, just before she was ready to give it to me, she shrieked out loud.

She said that the medicine had expired two months ago, and that she couldn’t give it to me. She actually went into our downstairs bathroom and flushed them all down the toilet. Then she texted my father and told him to bring a new bottle home with him after work, which he did. But unfortunately for me, I had to sit there and suffer for three hours until he got home. The good news is the ibuprofen did knock my headache out within about 30 minutes after my dad returned home.

My older brother heard all of this commotion at our house, and he poked his head in my room and said that our mom is overreacting and there’s no way that the medicine was dangerous. What do you think? — My Headache Persisted Too Long, via email

MY HEADACHE PERSISTED TOO LONG: Your family’s “recently expired” bottle of ibuprofen most likely could’ve been safely used to treat your headache.

In 1979 drug manufacturers were mandated by law to stamp expiration dates on their bottles of medications.

The idea behind using expiration dates was contrived to guarantee the “full potency” of the drug. But the actual shelf life of most medications is usually much longer.

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) found that many medications are actually good for up to an average of five years and even up to 15 years!

However, this does not apply to some treatments such as insulin or antibiotics. Logic dictates that we adhere to the expiration date for medications for specialized drugs with short shelf lives. But for almost everything else, it’s likely safe for even up to a few years to take expired medications without any problem, other than the original dose strength may be slightly eroded and therefore a bit less strong versus its original potency.

In any event, it’s wise to check with your local medical professional, hospital or medical center to answer specific questions in this regard.

DR. WALLACE: I’m not looking forward to going back to school next week because I got a good tan this summer by spending a lot of time outdoors and I know several of my classmates will say that I’ve been very unhealthy getting so much sunlight.

I do use sunscreen regularly, so it’s just that I tend to tan and not burn. Therefore, I don’t worry too much about my bronze look as fall arrives.

How can I get everyone to just chill out over this? — Tanned, Rested and Ready, via email

TANNED, RESTED AND READY: Simply tell them what you’ve told me here. Explain that you do regularly use sunscreens and that you’ve been healthy so far. It’s your choice, but I advise you to take sun exposure quite carefully.

Don’t always assume from here that you’ll always have the same results. The sun is a good source of vitamin D when you absorb it in small doses, but keep in mind that rays from the sun can indeed cause lasting damage to the skin overtime. Down the road, you may be predisposed to have prematurely wrinkled skin and even skin cancer. The sun’s rays are very powerful and should never be taken for granted.

Dr. Robert Wallace will answer questions from readers in this column. Email him at [email protected].

On Thursday, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia took a mugshot of former President Donald Trump following his arrest on Thursday. Do you think they should have taken his mugshot?