So I was shocked to see that my emergency, in case of Nuke Attack, Nature's Bounty Calcium Softgels had expired 6 months ago and I just ordered today to restock. As the expired Calcium was kept in the sealed unopened Nature's Body bottles should I still hold onto them and if so, how long will they be 100% effective for past the expiration date? Is there any reference link online for how long expired Vitamins and Supplements will last for. Thank You for Your Help/
Complicated chemical mixtures not so long. Something simple like calcium citrate will last a long time.
So just to make sure, in your opinion this product if it remains sealed should last 1 year or 2 years past its expiration date and still be 100% effective? Thank You
I would. The only things that break down kind of fast are things like biologics such as insulin and immune system altering drugs.
This has been discussed before in this thread: https://www.survivalmonkey.com/threads/some-medical-considerations-for-ebola.49834/ Here is the key part of that post: Medication Effectiveness Over Time Medication expirations So, you spend a hundred bucks or two and will it all be wasted when the medications “expire” in a year or two? There is some info on Koelker’s website and in Alton’s book and other locations referencing various studies examining the expiration dates and remaining efficacy of medications beyond those dates. As a general rule, the dates have little relevance to the degradation of the drug. The Army found many drugs and antibiotics were still quite potent 10 and 15 years well past their expirations. The drugs that degraded most were all those in liquid form. FEMA studied drugs in their stockpiles and found the pill and tablet drugs were all still good 2-10 years past their expirations. One study at UC San Francisco found 14 drugs in a pharmacy store room that were 28-40 years old. They analyzed the medications and found 12 of the 14 to still be at 90% or greater strength. The FDA has issued a authorization for Tamiflu to be used up to 5 years past its expiration date based upon research. Frankly, a drug that is 70-80% of its full strength is still far better than nothing (seems one could also up the dosage a bit to compensate) and data suggests drugs can be stored for years and years and still be adequately effective. Much has been written on tetracycline and related antibiotics such as doxycycline becoming toxic with age. Dr. Alton discusses this in his book (you need to buy it!) and indicates that this seems to be based upon just one disputed data point and a subsequent study with doxycycline noted no ill effects with the test subjects. Lots of prepper web sites will rail about not using old tetracycline but its easy to recommend NO, you have to actually know what you are talking about to recommend yes. Me personally? I just don’t think I’d worry about it but I’m am making no recommendation. Storage It seems that oxygen, heat and light are the most significant factors in degradation we have in our control (I haven’t figured out how to stop time yet). I have my stockpiles meds sealed inside additional bags stored in the dark in the bottom of my refrigerator. I wouldn’t hesitate using these in a SHTF situation 10 years from now. I don’t think you want to use the freezer as I did see something alone the line (don’t recall where) that some drugs can be compromised by freezing but I haven’t determined precisely which ones as yet. I have noted with the freeze dried food such as Mountain House that their pouches have a 5 year shelf life but if they came in a sealed plastic bucket and you don’t break the seal, MH says some can last up to 20 years. This suggests to me there is oxygen or moisture migration through the Mylar pouches that compromises the long term storage. (I have some first-hand engineering experience with moisture migration through cast aluminum) I think if you sealed the medications in their original packaging inside of a stout larger container that had been purged of oxygen (flood it with nitrogen or argon), added an O2 absorber and desiccant and kept this in the bottom of the refrigerator, this would be the ultimate storage solution and medications could last for decades. ———————- The take away is don’t buy/store liquid or gel (liquid inside) medications if you can (things like epinephrine you don’t have much choice). Then store your meds well, and you don't need worry about expiration for a couple decades. —-/ On a different note, the key mineral to take if subject to radioactive fallout or contamination from a nuke attack is iodine. While nothing wrong taking calcium, the key threat is from thyroid absorption of a radioactive isotope of iodine that is often present in fallout. You need to swamp the thyroid with the non-radioactive version of iodine so it can’t absorb and retain the harmful isotope. AT
The thyroid susceptibility is to iodine 131, more so than potassium. Therein lies the reasoning behind iodine pills.
Oops, you are right. Iodine. I knew that! Dumbass. My iostat tablets are potassium iodide and I wasn’t thinking straight and got my elements mixed up. Let me edit and fix that. Thanks
I always throw away mass produced vitamins six months after expiration date. They are cheap and easily replaced. Why are you stockpiling calcium?
Back to eddie's failure to know or research himself. Did a little looking around. Supplemental calcium really is NOT a necessary diet item. Moreover, the pills or caps are principally calcium carbonate, which (of course) is the scale formed by and from hard water. Stockpiling gel caps is a waste of money as long as cows are available for milk.
Actually powered milk has high calcium. Most here probably store powered milk. @ED GEiN maybe you should be looking into powered milk. You can add the powered into dishes that will give you extra calcium. One doesn't need to use it just as milk.
If there's Nuclear Radiation you need calcium with iodine pills. I read that on Survival Monkey a Few Years Ago!
