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Can Expired Codeine Be Taken For Flu?

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Posted on Sun, 11 May 2014
Twitter Sun, 11 May 2014 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 27 May 2014 Last reviewed on
Question : Hello,
My doc prescribed me w/ acetaminophen w/codeine #3 tablets for pain surrounding my right kidney after I had a blood vessel rupture surrounding it in a non-cancerous mass last April. My doc said I had an angiomylyphoma (I am not sure of the correct spelling of this). I was hospitalized for a day and sent home with pills to manage pain. Now, it is over a year and my prescription has a expiration date of 4/5/2014 and I was wondering if it would be OK for me to take a pill now? Although, I am not experiencing pain around my kidney, I have been feeling flu-like pain all day and I don't have any OTC Tylenol in the house or no one around who can pick some up for me. My doc advised me not to take Aspirin because of the angiomylymphoma. I rarely take meds and am not taking any other prescription drugs. Please advise, thanks.
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Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (37 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Not safe to take....Not effective for flu symptoms

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about these flu symptoms that you have developed. I hope they soon get resolved.

Unfortunately, codeine is not as effective as acetaminophen in the treatment of flu. Maybe because it has not been used that often for such a condition. Also, it is expired and I will not want you to go taking expired medication. Finally, drugs are stored in very specific conditions. I am so unsure whether you could have been able to store this correctly for it to last for about a year after dispensation.

In all, I strongly discourage you from taking this medication. I will recommend that you ask your neighbors or call a friend for help to get some acetaminophen for the flu. Discard the unused codeine.

The kidney condition you had should be written angiomyolipoma and not angiomyolymphoma as the latter is a malignant cancer.

I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and feel free to ask for more information if need be.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
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Dr. Ivo Ditah

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Can Expired Codeine Be Taken For Flu?

Brief Answer: Not safe to take....Not effective for flu symptoms Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hear about these flu symptoms that you have developed. I hope they soon get resolved. Unfortunately, codeine is not as effective as acetaminophen in the treatment of flu. Maybe because it has not been used that often for such a condition. Also, it is expired and I will not want you to go taking expired medication. Finally, drugs are stored in very specific conditions. I am so unsure whether you could have been able to store this correctly for it to last for about a year after dispensation. In all, I strongly discourage you from taking this medication. I will recommend that you ask your neighbors or call a friend for help to get some acetaminophen for the flu. Discard the unused codeine. The kidney condition you had should be written angiomyolipoma and not angiomyolymphoma as the latter is a malignant cancer. I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and feel free to ask for more information if need be.