what does the expiration date on drugs mean?

specifically i have ibuprofen with an expiration date of february 05. does the drug mutate into something harmful or does it just lose potency? if it is just a decrease in potency what would the current potency be as a percentage of the full strength?
Answers:
It really depends. For most drugs, the expiration date is not the actual "expiration" date, that is, the drug loses its potentcy/kills you, but the date you should discard it while you remember. As a matter of fact, most of the expired drugs, sometimes for years, are being donated by medical corporations to third world countries and a great majority of them are still effective. HOWEVER, this does not encourage you to take expired medicine. Depending on the drug you are having, it could be deadly. So to answer your question, don't try expired medicine unless you are in Africa (Yes, I know it sounds messed up).

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It probably just loses potency. But be careful. Your body might have a crazy reaction to it. I took expired pills once thinking they'll still work. My body rejected it and I threw up. EWW! Gross!

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The drugs were lab tested and their effective potency can be assured under normal storage conditions until the expiration date. Ibuprofen is inexpensive, take what you need for pain now (keep it under 800mg) and go get a new bottle.

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With scripts it's the toss date, but over-the-counter drugs which are just a fraction of the potency; I usually keep another six months.

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an expiration date on drugs mean they are no good. They are no longer in service to smoke. Don't smoke them, you can get really sick from it!

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Expiration date on drugs means that after that date, it will START to decrease its potency until such time that the drug will lose its efficacy. AFTER that, it will start to become a harmful substance.Therefore, if possible, refrain from using expired drugs because you might not get the correct dosage that you need and it might even be harmful to your health.

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The expiry date of drugs are the date when drugs start to rot..

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It means the drug will probably not be as effective because the ingrediants have started to break down. Taking them could give you a reaction. It is possible that nothing else could happen because the drugs simply have lost their effectiveness.

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