The question is, do you take it and risk it? Or toss it and suffer?

而問題是當生病的時候，你會選擇服下這些藥物並承擔風險？還是寧可忍受痛苦也要丟掉它們呢？

Hey pill poppers Julia here for DNews.

嗨各位藥罐子們，我是 DNews 的 Julia。

We’ve talked on DNews before about food expirations dates or "sell by" dates as they’re sometimes called.

我們曾經討論過食物的保存期限，也就是有時會聽到的「最後下架日」。

And we’ve found well...there is less actual rules and more like guidelines.

我們發現這個日期，與其說是規定，不如說是一個指示。

Most food lasts well beyond that date. Others, well you have do a quick sniff test.

大部分的食物超過了保存期限還是保持良好，就算不是，你也可以嗅得出來。

But have you ever noticed that medication has an expiration date too?

但是你是否曾經注意過藥物也有保存期限呢？

Rachael Lee asked us, "Can you get sicker from expired medicine?"

Rachael Lee 向我們提出了一個問題：「吃了過期的藥會病得更嚴重嗎？」

The FDA started slapping an expiration date on medicines in 1979.

從 1979 年起，FDA (美國食品藥物管理署) 便下令了所有藥物都要標示保存期限。

So it’s been over 30 years since that decision, and has it made a difference?

距離現在已超過 30 年了，這個法令造成了哪些影響呢？

Typically the expiration date is set a year to five years beyond the date of manufacture.

一般而言，保存期限是設定在製造日期後的 1~5 年。

It’s less of an expiration date and more of a date of guaranteed potency.

與其說是藥物過期的期限，不如說是保證藥物效用的日期。

Basically after that date, manufacturers can’t guarantee the drug will be 100% potent, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be unsafe or less effective.

基本上過了這個日期之後，生產者就無法保證藥物擁有百分之百的藥效，所以超過期限的藥物未必是不安全或是效用不佳。

But there’s some evidence that some medicines can hold their potency for quite awhile especially in controlled conditions.

有些證據顯示，某些藥物在保存環境控制得宜下可以保有藥效很長一段時間。

A study conducted by the FDA on behalf of the Military found ways to extend the life of medicines in storage in a program called SLEP or shelf life extension program.

FDA 替美國軍方做了一個研究，試圖找出能夠延長藥物壽命的儲存方法。該研究的名稱是 SLEP，延長架儲期計畫。

They found that they could extend the life of 88% of the drugs in government facilities by at least a year by simply keeping them in climate controlled storage.

他們發現有 88% 的政府單位藥物在受控制的保存環境下，可以延長壽命至少一年。

Most drugs lasted on average five and half years past the expiration date.

而絕大部分的藥物能超過保存期限 5.5 年。

While civilians like you and I might not have access to tightly controlled storage facilities, there’s always the fridge, which some experts recommend a cool, dry place, for extending the life of your medication.

雖然如你我一般的市井小民沒有能夠嚴格控制氣溫的儲藏設備，但我們有冰箱。許多專家認為放置在涼爽且乾燥的地方，有助於延長藥物的壽命。

But maybe drugs last longer than five years even without chilling in the Fed’s fridge.

或許藥物不需要冷藏在政府的冰箱裡也能延長 5 年的保存期限。

One study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine found that some medicines can hold their own for decades.

一篇發表在內科學文獻雜誌的研究顯示，一些藥物甚至能夠保持數十年不壞。

In this study, all the drugs were all 28-40 years past their due date.

研究中，所有的實驗藥物都能超過保存期限 28~40 年不等。

They only looked at a handful of medicines, 8 different medications with about 15 different compounds between them like caffeine, aspirin, or hydrocodone.

他們僅僅觀察了少量的藥物，約 8 類 15 種不同的化合物，像是咖啡因、阿斯匹靈和氫可酮(麻醉藥)。

They found that most, 12 of those compounds remained in amounts of at least 90% decades after their expiration date.

他們發現高達 12 種化合物在超過有效期限 10 年後，依舊保有 90% 的效用。

And that 90% is crucial, that’s how much of the good stuff a drug needs to be considered "effective" by the FDA.

90% 這個數字相當關鍵，因為 FDA 認為「有效」的藥物必須至少含有 90% 的有效成分。

So most of the decades old medicine didn’t break down or lose it’s potency.

這表示大部分的陳年藥物沒有壞掉或是失效。

Although two medicines, aspirin and amphetamine, seem to lose some of their juice after all that time.

不過實驗中有兩個藥物，阿斯匹靈和安非他命，似乎隨著時間損失了不少有效成分。

They were present in amounts less than 90%.

實驗結果顯示他們的效用不足 90%。

But before you go popping grandma’s pills, which you shouldn’t take anyone else's pills anyways…that’s illegal.

在你取用阿嬤的藥物前，注意你不能隨意吃別人的藥......這樣是不合法的。

But really the FDA recommends listening to those expiration dates.

不過其實 FDA 還是建議要遵照保存期限。

They caution that drugs gone bad could be "less effective or risky due to a change in chemical composition or decrease in potency."

他們警告，藥物可能發生化學結構上的變化，使得藥效減弱或是存在風險。

FDA pharmacist, Ilisa Bernstein, straight up says "If your medicine has expired, do not use it."

FDA 藥師 Ilisa Bernstein 很直接地告訴大家，「如果藥物過期了，就別用了。」

Especially with life-saving drugs like an EpiPen.

特別像是 EpiPen(腎上腺素注射筆) 這種緊急救命的藥物。

If a drug’s expired, the FDA recommends tossing it.

如果藥物過期了 FDA 建議直接把它丟掉。

The best way to dispose of a drug is usually on the bottle or some cities have prescription medicine take back programs.

最好的方法是參考藥罐上的處理方式，或是參照各地區的處方藥回收計畫。

So look into that if you’re worried about all the leftover medication in your bathroom cabinet.

所以要是擔心浴室櫥櫃中的剩餘藥物，就好好調查這些資訊吧。

So it seems drugs last longer than their "good by" date, but at the end of the day I’d still listen to the FDA just to be on the safe side.

所以即便藥物過期後依然能保持有效，聽從 FDA 的建議終究還是會比較安全。

But it’s not just medicines that expire, there’s lots of common things you didn’t know have an expiration date.

不過不只有藥物會過期，生活中還有許多物品也有保存期限，只是你不曉得而已。

Trace has the whole list of things in your house that go bad, right here.

Trace 在這部影片中整理了一份完整的清單。

Bleach is what is being used by the CDC in their labs and it has an expiration date of only six months from the day of manufacture.

漂白劑在 CDC (美國疾病管制與預防中心) 的實驗室中使用，而它的保存期限通常只有 6 個月。

So like, 3-5 months once you get it home.

差不多是你買回家的 3~5 個月左右就到期了。

So have you ever used expired medicine before? noticed anything weird? Tell us about it down in the comments below. And thanks Rachel for your question.

你曾經用過過期的藥物嗎？有任何異狀嗎？請在下方的評論欄告訴我們，並且感謝 Rachel 的提問。

If you guys have any more questions that you'd like us to answer here on DNews, submit words down below.

如果各位有任何疑難雜症想要我們在影片中解答，也請在下面發表。

Don't forget to hit those like and subscribe button to keep coming back to DNews, so you don't miss a single episode.

別忘了幫我們按讚還有訂閱，這樣就不會錯過任何一部新影片囉！