When you require dietary supplements, or have a naturally occurring vitamin deficiency, taking a daily vitamin tablet can help reduce the risk of illness. If you consider a few simple recommendations when buying, storing and taking the tablets, it is possible to obtain the highest level of potency from your vitamin -- similar to when the vitamin supplement was originally produced -- even when you reach the end of your vitamin supply .
Expiration Date
The responsibility of labeling vitamin supplements lies solely with the individual manufacturers. The Food and Drug Administration has no specific guidelines or legally binding regulations that require the pharmaceutical companies to label the tablets with an expiration date. Nevertheless, quality manufacturers not only provide an expiration date, they also list the most effective way to store the vitamins.
Storing Vitamins
Always follow the instructions provided on the label. Some vitamins require special storage conditions, and these must be adhered to in order to achieve the intended and desired longevity of the product. As a general rule, store your vitamins in a cool, dry and dark cupboard. Try and keep them in their original containers, especially if you choose to or are required to refrigerate them, as this reduces the risk of condensation developing. Do not subject any vitamin supplements to humidity or heat. This significantly reduces the potency of the tablet, can cause them to break up or discolor.
Potency of Vitamins
The expiration date is printed to indicate when the vitamin supplement will no longer provide you with its highest and intended level of potency. A company that chooses to forgo expiration date information may draw questions over its manufacturing and production process.
Potential Side Effects
Out-of-date vitamin tablets do not become toxic when they have expired. Although they may be safe to consume, they may become medicinally useless. No known side effects have been discovered from taking out-of-date vitamin tablets.
Consuming the out-of-date tablets will not provide any health benefits, and if you choose to take them, they could affect the desired level of vitamins in your body because of the reduced potency. If the tablets have changed color or have a different smell than normal, they should not be taken.
Expired Vitamins
The Environmental Protection Agency advises that any unwanted vitamins must be disposed of safely. Do not flush them down toilet or down the drain, unless the packaging or provider of the supplements requests that you do so. Remove all personal information that might be attached to the vitamins. Mix the medicine with an undesirable substance such as coffee grounds or cat litter and dispose of the resulting substance in the garbage.
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