Pulling Outdates

Medications are given an expiration date and lot number by the manufacturer. The expiration dates are determined by the pharmacokinetic properties given to the drugs and are extremely important. Many people are under the impression that even though their medication is past the expiration date, especially with OTC products, that they can still use these medications. With some medications this is true, the only problem is that the potency of the drug will be lessened, however with some other drugs they may lose almost all of their effect after they've become expired. Because of this fact it is very important that pharmacy technicians and pharmacists make sure to pull out dated drugs regularly. There are many different ways to go about doing this in a community pharmacy.

One of the main ways to make sure that the expired or outdated drugs have been pulled from the shelves and not been dispensed is to first have a clear and organized system, and way of doing things. The way that we do it where I work, is when we do inventory, or count all of our drugs we make sure to check the expiration dates on the products. We then sticker the ones that are going to become out-dated in the next several months. This then will be put on a sheet and they will be pulled on the first of every month. Once pulled they're set aside to then later either be shipped back to the company and hopefully there can be money reimbursement for the product, either that or the store will just take a loss.

To make sure that drugs that are going to become expired within the next several months don't go to waste, there are different ways that pharmacists can try to get rid of the medication before it expires. Between the different pharmacies there is a vast network of communication  and many pharmacists send out email requests and ask questions about different medications, for example one such email could look like the following:

"Looking for Clonidine 0.1mg #60 if anyone is looking to sell"

Hy-Vee #28942

Once this message is sent out many other pharmacies can check their inventory and see if they have any they need to get rid of, and often times this is how many people can get rid of their soon to expire drugs as well, by asking others if they need any of the medication. It's a great system and can help save resources and money, so it is very important to always know the expiration dates on your inventory.