Baton Rouge Louisiana Personal Injury Law Blog

All drugs, whether they’re over-the-counter or prescribed by a doctor, have expiration dates. Many people question whether drugs that have expired are still as effective or if they pose a threat when taken. The following information sheds some light on the thinking behind drug expiration dates, so you can make an informed decision on your health and well-being.

According to Drugs.com, the real problem with expired drugs lies in decreased potency. Many types of drugs, such as pills including capsules and tablets, actually remain quite stable beyond their expiration date. Additionally, studies have confirmed that certain drugs do retain potency for many years. Testing on behalf of the military, which typically has large stockpiles of medicines that aren’t always used before expiration, showed that amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin, two common antibiotics, showed no failures post-expiration, and for as long as 15 years in some cases.

If you recognize that one of your friends is too drunk to ride on a Louisiana road, you may decide to step in as a designated driver. However, if your friend is carrying an open can of beer with him as he enters the vehicle, you might have a problem. While you are legally able to drive since you are not drunk, the mere fact that your friend possesses an open can of beer in the vehicle could still invite trouble from the law.

Louisiana has what is known as an “open carry” law. Under Louisiana Statute 32:300, a Louisiana passenger is not permitted to consume an alcoholic beverage or to possess an open container of an alcoholic beverage while in a vehicle driving on the road. This law permits a police officer to give you a citation if an open alcohol container is discovered in your vehicle.

You may have had the same motor vehicle insurance policy for years or even decades. Most people tend not to reconsider their policies unless something major happens that requires them to. Liability insurance for your vehicle helps keep you safe on the road and reduces the potential for a financial catastrophe as a result of a motor vehicle collision.

You may feel like you have been a valued and loyal customer to your insurance company. They may even use those words in communications with you, such as your annual renewal notices. Do not mistake the language of salespeople for a legitimate human relationship.

You place a great deal of trust in your doctor and pharmacist when you are prescribed a medication, especially one that can cure an infection or treat a life-threatening medical condition. Unfortunately, there are ways your trust might be misplaced. You could be prescribed the wrong dosage amount or given a medication with a similar name that would have devastating consequences if you took it. You and other Louisiana residents might not realize that an expired medication could also adversely affect your health.

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration explains, some drugs lose their potency when they expire. For example, if you keep Tylenol in your medicine cabinet, despite it having expired several years ago, the worst it might do is not help you get rid of your headache. However, other medications, especially those prescribed for serious conditions like diabetes or congestive heart disease, might come with much worse consequences if you take them after they expire. Outdated insulin that has lost its strength could fail to manage your diabetes; the chemical composition can change in expired medication and cause an adverse reaction; bacterial growth in old medication can fail to treat an infection or cause you to become ill.