Using an expired product.

[julliams]

I have been intrigued by the Monistat posts that I have seen and although I said I would never try it, I just came across a tube of Canesten (sold in Australia) that expired October 2009 in my medicine cabinet. It is completely sealed and never opened.

I thought it might be a good candidate to try using it on my hair - watered down I would think. Would you go there or throw it out?

Ingredients are 20g clotrimazole cream containing 200mg clotrimazole (1% w/w) whatever that means. It says on it that it's for fungal skin conditions such as tinea, athletes foot, ring worm and candidal infections including nappy rash and jock itch.

[x0h_bother]

I work in a pharmacy, and from what I have seen, there are a lot of products that can be used past expiration (although we don't use them past expiration at work.) I probably have opened creams at home like hydrocortisone from 2003 that still work (my dad is a pharmacist and he allows them to still be used). While I am not certain about antifungal creams, there are two things that make your use of it past expiration safer: one, the cream is not refrigerated (If it was, you definately would not be able to use it past expiration,) two, your tube is unopened. IMO, you're okay, but it is a humble opinion.

[julliams]

Thanks so much. I couldn't have hoped for a more knowledgeable person to answer my post. I really appreciate your taking the time to reply.

[Themyst]

I just had a veterinarian tell me a couple of weeks ago that prescription medication can be used years past its expiration date. (He went on to elaborate this was for humans and animals).

[Flynn]

My doctor (immunologist) says most medicines are fine a year or more past their expiry.

Also, did you know, a lot of our unsold, expired medicines get shipped off to developing countries for use.