How Long Will Amoxicillin Last?

Amoxicillin is a commonly prescribed antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. Amoxicillin is a generic medication taken by mouth, either as a capsule, tablet, chewable tablet, or liquid suspension.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved amoxicillin to treat specific bacterial infection of the ears, nose, throat, the urinary tract, the skin, and the lower respiratory tract. The drug is also approved to treat gonorrhea in certain situations.

If a healthcare provider gives you a prescription for amoxicillin to treat an infection, it’s crucial to finish the prescription. However, it’s not uncommon for someone to end up with leftover medication and stash it in their medicine cabinet.

As such, consumers may be curious if leftover amoxicillin is still good down the road. 

The capsule and tablet forms of amoxicillin are typically suitable for one year after you bring it home from the pharmacy. Comparatively, amoxicillin liquid suspension is suitable for 14 days after your pharmacist prepares it.

Read on for a more in-depth analysis of amoxicillin and a discussion on handling potentially expired medications.

Understanding Amoxicillin

Amoxicillin is not sold over the counter (OTC), meaning it is a prescription-only medication. It is available only in generic form.

Sometimes, though, amoxicillin is still referred to by its former brand names, such as Amoxil.

Amoxicillin is FDA-approved for use in adults and children to treat certain bacterial infections affecting the ears, nose, and throat (such as strep throat), urinary tract, skin, and the lower respiratory tract.

It is also indicated for managing the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea in certain situations.

How It Works

Amoxicillin is a semisynthetic antibiotic derived from penicillin.

Amoxicillin belongs to the drug category of beta-lactam antibiotics, which also includes other penicillin derivatives and cephalosporins, such as cephalexin.

Beta-lactam antibiotics treat bacterial infections by interfering with the formation of bacterial cell walls, preventing the bacteria from growing.

Amoxicillin for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)

Amoxicillin is prescribed as part of a dual or triple therapy regimen to eradicate H. pylori, a gut infection associated with digestive ulcers.

H. pylori can infect the stomach lining and cause gastrointestinal (GI) ulcers.

Along with either clarithromycin, lansoprazole, or both, amoxicillin is prescribed as part of a double or triple therapy regimen to treat H. pylori infection.

Off-Label Uses

Amoxicillin is commonly prescribed for several off-label uses.

Off-label use is when a healthcare provider prescribes a drug for a dosage, dosage form, or condition not approved by the FDA but that has been proven effective.

Off-label uses of amoxicillin include:

How Long Is Amoxicillin Good For?

It’s crucial to store amoxicillin properly to maintain its effectiveness. However, know that storage requirements vary with the form you’re taking.

Amoxicillin comes in oral forms, including a capsule, tablet, and chewable tablet. Store these forms at room temperature (68-77 F).

You can discard unused medication after the expiration date, which you can find on the prescription label.

Talk to a healthcare provider if you need more amoxicillin after it expires. They can help determine if the medication needs to be continued, and if so, they will renew your prescription.

Storing Suspension-Based Amoxicillin

Amoxicillin is also available as a suspension. The suspension form comes as a powder in a bottle.

When you pick up your prescription from a pharmacy, the pharmacist will add water to the bottle and shake it to form a suspension. It’s usually pink.

Once the drug is mixed (reconstituted), the amoxicillin suspension stays safe for up to 14 days.

Your pharmacist will label the bottle with instructions, an expiration date, and the pharmacy’s phone number if you need to call them with any questions or refill requests.

You can store reconstituted amoxicillin suspension at room temperature or in the refrigerator, although refrigeration is preferred.

Keep it at a consistent temperature rather than moving it from the refrigerator to the counter for a while and back again.

After 14 days, dispose of any unused medication. If you or your child needs to take amoxicillin liquid suspension for more than 14 days, you’ll likely need to return to the pharmacy for a refill.

Dosing Overview

Amoxicillin is taken by mouth and comes in several forms: a capsule, tablet, chewable tablet, and a liquid suspension.

The FDA has approved amoxicillin to treat certain bacterial infections in adults and children of all ages.

Dosing for infants and children older than 3 months and weighing less than 88 pounds is based on body weight, not age. Your healthcare provider and pharmacist will inform you of the correct dosage.

Adult dosages are based on such factors as:

• Type of infection
• Severity of infection
• Age 
• Kidney function
• Your preference for a liquid, chewable, or pill form

Most of the time, amoxicillin is prescribed for seven, 10, or 14 consecutive days. As with all antibiotics, amoxicillin is used to treat bacterial infections. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria.

To eliminate the infection, it’s crucial to continue taking the medication for the prescribed length.

Even if you feel better, stopping antibiotics early can leave some bacteria behind, which can continue to grow and potentially cause the infection to spread or worsen.

Further, incomplete antibiotic courses contribute to antibiotic resistance. When bacteria are exposed to antibiotics but not eliminated, the surviving bacteria can develop resistance to the drug.

This means that the same antibiotic that was previously effective may no longer work against new, resistant strains of bacteria.

As a result, more difficult-to-treat infections can occur and even become life-threatening.

Can I Take Expired Drugs?

A medication’s expiration date is a way to notify consumers when the drug can become ineffective or unsafe. It represents the manufacturer’s guarantee that the medication will maintain its potency and safety if stored correctly.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines expiration dates, or use-by dates, as the last date a medication is guaranteed to remain pure, safe, and practical when stored properly.

The FDA requires all medication containers, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, to list an expiration date and methods for proper storage.

In some instances, the expiration date changes. For example, most insulin vials have a listed expiration date that is valid before the first use.

However, the medication expires 28 days after the first time the insulin vial has been used, regardless of the original expiration date. This is because the purity of the insulin is only verifiable for 28 days after the cap is removed from the vial.

Additionally, some state laws require pharmacies to label an expiration date of one year from the date they dispense a medication.

This date may differ from the expiration date provided by the manufacturer of the dispensed drug.

Generally, the FDA recommends strongly against using any medication past the expiration date. After the expiration date, a medication may lose effectiveness or become unsafe, resulting in poor treatment or potentially dangerous side effects.

However, some studies and assessments suggest certain medications pose a greater risk than others after expiration.

Unsafe Drugs Post-Expiration

While using expired medications is not recommended, individuals should exercise more caution in avoiding certain medications.

Some drugs are known to be unsafe or risky after expiration. This is because certain medications begin to break down (decompose), resulting in incomplete and ineffective treatment.

A few examples are:

• Antibiotics: Antibiotics lose their strength over time, reducing their ability to fight infection. This is particularly dangerous, as exposure to low, incomplete levels of antibiotics promotes the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This risk is significantly elevated in oral liquid antibiotics, such as amoxicillin suspension. Often mixed at home or the pharmacy with water, oral liquid antibiotics possess shorter windows of use and break down more quickly. So, paying particular attention to expiration dates on antibiotics is essential.
• Insulin: Similarly, insulin begins to break down after removal from refrigeration following the first use of a new vial or pen. This process reduces the insulin’s ability to lower sugar levels in the body, leading to high blood sugar levels and the potential for worsened complications of diabetes.
• Nitroglycerin: Another medication known to lose effectiveness over time is Nitrostat (nitroglycerin). This medication, which treats chest pain and heart attack has been shown to lose effectiveness as time goes on, particularly when stored in warm or moist locations.

While expired medications are never ideal, specific life-or-death scenarios require their use, even if effectiveness or safety could be reduced. EpiPen (epinephrine injection) is a medication used to reverse severe allergic reactions.

As with all medications, EpiPens have an expiration date, after which they may be less effective.

However, given the lifesaving nature of this drug, experts still recommend administering an expired EpiPen rather than no medication at all during a severe allergic reaction; the only exception would be if the medication appears extremely cloudy or discolored.

What Should I Do With Expired Drugs?

Many pharmacies and medical facilities now have drop-off bins for patients to dispose of expired or unwanted medications.

The FDA also recommends drug take-back programs, which occur on select days throughout the year at local pharmacies, community centers, and first-responder stations.

However, if a drug take-back day is not available or convenient for you, the FDA also guides the disposal of expired medications in the regular trash.

Here are the steps recommended by the FDA to ensure proper and safe disposal of medications:

• Read the medication information given to you by the pharmacy or find it online to see if the medication has unique requirements for disposal. If there are no special considerations, continue with these steps.
• Mix the medication, without crushing it, into something unpleasant to children and pets, such as coffee grounds.
• Place the mixture in a sealed bag.
• Throw the sealed bag out with your regular household trash.
• remove personal information to protect privacy before throwing away empty prescription bottles. 

Summary

When a healthcare provider prescribes amoxicillin to treat an infection, completing the entire treatment is crucial to treat the infection and help prevent antibiotic resistance effectively.

If you have leftover antibiotics, the medication should retain its potency until the labeled expiration date, as long as you store it properly.

Amoxicillin capsules and tablets usually remain effective for up to a year from the pharmacy dispensing date.

The liquid suspension has a shorter shelf life of 14 days after preparation by the pharmacist.

Always check the medication label for expiration and consult a healthcare professional before using expired antibiotics or other medications.

The FDA website and your local pharmacy can offer guidance on disposing expired or unwanted medications.