For how long a medicine (tablets ) can be used and is safe after it has reached its expired date?

It is a practice that some people consume medecine especially tabs.(which are well sealed in their packing etc) even the drugs have reached its expiring date. they do so because of cost of medecine too high or they still have it and do not want to throw it away. My question is related to the safety of this practice . the drugs i am refering to are for people having diabetes and hypertension.

Answers:
Officially: don't take expired medications. It can break down into unstable components that can actually be lethal to some patients. Those taking critical medications for chronic illnesses or giving to their kids -- DO NOT TAKE EXPIRED MEDICATIONS. Period!!

Unofficially: Only in the USA -- pharmacies predate expirations by 1 year. That doesn't mean, no matter what packaging medication will be good as new within 1 year of 1 1/2, because the environment plays a major factor of the actual shelf-life of medications. Light, heat and humidity will reduce it's effectiveness.

In short: if in doubt, chuck it. $$ is less costly than $$$$$ for a funeral.

don`t take after the date!
Out of date pills won't do you any harm they just don't work as well as they should
THEY WONT HURT YOU, IT JUST MEANS THEY ARE WEAKER NOW AND MAY NOT WORK AS WELL THATS ALL
Who really knows? I don't think anyone does.

I guess the manufacturers put the expiries on for a reason - that they cannot guarantee the safety of the product after that date.

If drugs are expired it could mean (at best) that the active ingredient is no longer active, so effectively you could be taking a tablet that does nothing. For someone with diabetes or hypertension, this could be disastrous - their blood sugar and blood pressure would obviously be uncontrolled!!

If someone is taking their medicines properly there should be no reason to have excess stock hanging around.
this is just my opinion but i think tablets have a expiry date for a reason i think you should just play it safe and not use them just be safe and get some new ones with a longer life span or don't get so many so you can use them and then just get more if u need them xx
I, personally, think that they (tablets) are still safe - they are just less potent. Have you ever tasted chips after their expiration date, still a chip but it has that "you forgot about me" taste.
I would say no do not use after the expiry date they are obviously not fit to be used hence the expiry date in the first place, they could caus side effects or not be of much use i.e. they may have lost their potency.
As others have said the effectiveness of the table will diminish with age, so requiring the number of tables per effective dose to increase. The problem here is that you don't know the extent of the deterioration so cannot just the number required for that dose.
its called an expiry date for a reason- it means that after that date the drugs may not be as effective or may even be harmful.
money is not a good enough reason to take a chance with your health. throw them away and get some more.
If the meds were properly stored away from heat and light then they can be used if that is all you have. One more thing, never store medicine in your bathroom's medicine cabinet. There is too much humidity in that room which can break down medicine prematurely.
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