Posted by chemist on April 23, 2004, at 21:43:25
In reply to Klonopin-what's the shelf life?, posted by waterfall on April 23, 2004, at 19:04:06
> Hi All,
> The Klonopin I've been taking lately is 2 years old. It feels a little less effective but not by too much. It is also one of the knock-offs, which I never found as effective as the name brand anyway. My questin for anyone who might know more than the general "throw away all medication one year after the date of issue" is - what happens to Klonopin specifically when it sits around on a bathroom shelf where it gets humid and hot for two years? I don't want to go back to my psych and ask for more as I'm trying a spell without mood stabilizers or anti-depressants and I'm afraid she'll try to talk me in to one or the other if I bring up anxiety. She would write the script for K but she's been known to have conditions "if you want the benzo, you'll also have to take X"
>
> Thanks to anyone who might know!hi waterfall, from chemist...2 years is a long time, and if you have kept the meds in a non-humid, light-resistant area, then fine - maybe. degredation by-products of klonopin are still metabolically active, so even with the above caveat, you are probably safe. do NOT keep ANY meds in your bathroom - the kitchen cabinet or bedroom drawer is best. in the bathroom, you are promoting hydrolysis of klonopin which, as i said, is not really a bad thing in that the active metabolites are still there. however, you want the full ``bang for the buck,'' which means enough parent compound in your system. now, about your doc: this theme is commonly recurring. just because they prescribe something in addition to what it is that you are truly in want, doesn't mean you have to take it at the prescribed dose or at all. if getting a fresh script for klonopin means getting a script for whatever, than so be it. by the way, you can check how bioequivalent your generic is to the real thing using the FDA online orange book:
www.fda.gov/cder/ob/default.htmlsearch by active ingredient (clonazepam) and look at the TE code. i just did this, and found that the generics are rated AB, which means that bioequivalence to the original product has been established. you have no need to worry about the generics (in general) for tablets, although you start getting into non-bioequivalent stuff in gels/ointments (ding tretinoin, or retin-a)...all the best, let me know if i can be of any help, and all the best, chemist
poster:chemist
thread:339326
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040423/msgs/339372.html