How Long Are Medicines Good For?

[kribensis12]

At an auction I went to, I picked up a bag of med's. There are containers of ich and velvet guard( powdered , made by jungle ) from 2001. They still have their seal on them. Never been opened. Will they still be good? Also, containers of Fungus Guard( liquid) from 2001 or before, never opened. Are they still good? Egg fungus guard, 2001 or before, never opened . Is it still good? If not, why? Anyone care to shed light on this?

 

[Mr._Fishy]

Is there an expiration date on the bottle? I'd think they you would be okay. I just used some tetracycline that was a bit over 2 years past the expiration date with good results. That stuff was probably close to 5-6 years old.

 

[Mikaila31]

look up the active ingredient(s) online, I would assume they are still good. However as diff meds age they can loose strength or gain it. If any of the meds do this, I would adjust the dosage accordingly.

 

[kribensis12]

I just looked for pic's online of the fungus guard( for the fish eggs ) and it's old enough that they now sell it in a different bottle. I can't find the active ingredients.

 

[kribensis12]

anyone else?

 

[kribensis12]

Seriously, no one else has any idea's or advice?

 

[howard_hopkinson]

If the bottles don't have an expiry date on them, I would seriously consider contacting the manufacturer and asking them.

I wouldn't be too keen on using meds that were 8 years old, without knowing for a fact whether it was safe to do so.

 

[kribensis12]

I don't imagine it would be harmful, but I don't know what effect it could have. They are all by jungle labs.

 

[howard_hopkinson]

Maybe send them an email via their contact us page.

As far as I'm aware, most Medications have a useful shelf life and after that they either don't work or can actually become harmful.

 

[kribensis12]

Wow, thanks! I went to the website, but I never thought of that! I just sent one in. Apparently they reply within 24 business hours. So, on monday I should be getting a response. I will post it on here once I get one.

 

[kribensis12]

I just got this reply back from the website:


Hello,

Chemicals, such as these, are good on average for 10 years. This would
depend on how they were stored. We recommend keeping them out of
extreme heat or cold weather.

Thank you for choosing United Pet Group.

Sincerely,

United Pet Group

 

[howard_hopkinson]

That's good news and thanks for letting us know.

 

[kribensis12]

Yes it is! I sure hope they are still good. I would assume they are.