My Drug Center

What is the Shelf-Life of Jardiance?

Wednesday 5 May 2021
Jardiance
3 minute(s) read

Table of Contents


I. Jardiance for Diabetes

II. What is the Shelf Life of Jardiance?

III. What’s the Danger of Expired Drugs?

IV. How to Store Jardiance


Jardiance for Diabetes

The rate of type 2 diabetes in the United States continues to increase every year. Researchers believe this is in part due to the obesity epidemic that is occurring in the country. According to the Harvard Gazette, around 85 percent of diabetic patients are overweight. On the flip side, 30 percent of overweight people have type 2 diabetes. [1]

To put these numbers into perspective, the rate of obesity was around 13 percent in the 1960s. As of 2018, the Centers for Disease Control cites that obesity was at 42.4 percent. [2] This massive upswing has also increased the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer in overweight individuals.

Type 2 diabetes is a public health concern, and that is why many medications like Jardiance have come to prominence in the pharmaceutical world. Empagliflozin is a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that prevents glucose reabsorption and excretes it through the urine. [3] Because Jardiance 10 mg is so popular, it is important to understand how to safely take this medication and the length of its shelf life. Read on to learn more.

a doctor talking to her patient

What is the Shelf Life of Jardiance? 

Many of us may vaguely acknowledge the expiration date on the foods in our fridge. If we take a sip of expired milk, we’ll know right away something is off, but the same cannot be said for expired medications.

You may think that expiration dates on your prescriptions are subtle suggestions, but diabetes patients should take them seriously. The FDA puts dates on drugs to reflect the period where the medication is in a stable state. When a drug is stable, it retains its strength and quality. [4] 

The FDA determines the shelf life of a drug when a medication is submitted for approval. When a drug is submitted to the FDA, the pharmaceutical manufacturer also has to provide stability testing with proposed expiration dates and storage conditions. When you receive your Jardiance medication, check the bottle for your specific expiration date. Jardiance can have a shelf life of 36 months. [5]

What’s the Danger of Expired Drugs?

Taking expired prescription medication can have serious effects on your body as well as your treatment plan. [4] If you take a drug after its expiration date, the drug may have degraded, especially if it was not stored correctly.

If a drug is not in a stable condition, it may not provide the body with its intended benefit. In the case of Jardiance, an expired dose may not expel enough glucose from the system. This can cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket and the dangerous side effects of unregulated blood sugar readings.

This instability may yield toxic compounds and cause other unintended side effects. A good way to avoid ordering expired medications is to use a reputable online Canadian pharmacy like MyDrugCenter. If you have a life-threatening disease or serious condition, you may be at a higher risk of an adverse reaction to expired drugs.

medications in a pharmacy with an artistic blur

How to Store Jardiance

As mentioned above, storing Jardiance safely can help maintain the drug’s integrity. If a drug is kept in an unregulated environment with varying temperatures, the drug may begin to break down. Storing this drug in high temperatures may cause issues.

Storing this drug in a medicine cabinet is the best bet. If you have children in your home, you should make sure that it is out of their reach to avoid any trips to the hospital or calls to poison control. If you receive a new bottle of Jardiance and the packaging is damaged, return it to your pharmacist right away.

If, for some reason, you stop taking your Jardiance dosage, do not throw any extra capsules away in the household trash or flush them down the toilet. This can disrupt the water supply and have long-term side effects on the environment. You can always ask your pharmacist for the best way to dispose of prescription medicines. If you were recently prescribed Jardiance, you can read more about this anti-diabetic in our blog today.

DISCLAIMER: The information in the article is not meant to be used for treatment or diagnosis. It is designed for general awareness and for information purposes only. Always consult a medical professional for your specific healthcare needs.