Will 5 Year Old Viagra Work?

Key points

• The shelf life of Viagra is a 24-month period i.e. two years from the actual date of manufacture
• Other Viagra drugs like Cialis (tadalafil), vardenafil, and Stendra (avanafil) also have a 24-month expiry period
• You should avoid using Viagra after its expiration date; FDA does not approve usage of expired drugs
• Expired meds or Viagra must be properly disposed by following FDA guidelines

Viagra like any other drug that is manufactured has a shelf life of only two years. Usually this med comes with a shelf life; timeframe is – in general – two (2) years from the date of manufacture. It tends to lose its efficacy after the stipulated period.

So, after its expiry date, you should strictly avoid using the pill. Some medicines turn out to be fatal if you use after their expiry date. Viagra is one among them.

Will 5-year-old Viagra work?

A five-year-old Viagra will fail to work and is ineffective. It can also prove fatal. On reaching its expiry date, Viagra’s active ingredients namely sildenafil citrate can break down or start to degrade gradually over time, making it less potent. The drug will take longer to work or will lead to potential and unwanted side effects as you use it. 

Some expired medications can cause unpleasant side effects leading to severe complications. Moreover, there is a huge potential for pathogens growth as these drugs can contaminate with bacteria or mold in due course posing a greater health hazard.

Actual shelf life of Viagra

Usually oral formulations of Viagra stay effective for around two years from the date of manufacture. Some of the drugs you use to treat erectile dysfunction also falls in this category like Cialis (tadalafil) and vardenafil. In addition, Stendra (avanafil) also has a shelf life of 2 years i.e. a 24-month expiry period. Therefore, Viagra is safe for use within two years from its original date of manufacture. Viagra loses its effect and is not safe for use after a 2-year period.

It is crucial for you to store Viagra with proper care, so that the drug retains its effect. You need to ensure that the drug has a proper storage facility. You can keep it in its original container with the lid tightly closed. You need to avoid exposing it to heat, humidity, or direct sunlight. This will degrade the drug’s effect.

Sildenafil citrate is the active ingredient in Viagra. Sildenafil’s ingredients becomes less effective and loses it chemical power in two years.

Factors like the drug’s batch, preservatives used, storage conditions, and the specific sildenafil product influence the variations or the difference in the actual shelf-life of the drug.

Harmful effects and downsides of using expired Viagra pills

FDA never recommends the use of drugs past their expiration date as the drugs can cause harmful effects on your system. Therefore, due to stability uncertainty, it is not valid to use the drug beyond its last use date. 

The chemical ingredients that are essential to treat erectile dysfunction disintegrates after a stipulated period making Viagra completely lose its effect. Therefore, after the expiry date, the chemicals break down and they can interact with your system’s tissues and functions in unforeseen ways, potentially causing harmful side effects like seizures, diarrhea, vision problems, aches or pains in your muscles, especially at the back of your body, nausea, stomach pain, or even a heart attack.

If you take Viagra by mistake after its expiration date, and you sense any unusual side effects, you should immediately stop taking Viagra. Moreover, taking pills after expiry date is unlikely to show an improvement in your system – this is because the necessary chemicals may have disintegrated making the drug lose its potency.

Storage of Viagra

You can store Viagra in normal room temperature i.e. a cool, dry place. You can use a tight lid container, or use the same storage provided by your pharmacist. This is the best way to store the pill.

You should not store it in your bathroom, where too much heat prevails, as it will expose the drug to humidity. You should even avoid freezing the pill. If you store it improperly, Viagra will rapidly lose its effect as its ingredients and chemical components break down faster, making the drug even expire soon.

What to do with expired Viagra ?

FDA has proposed certain guidelines you need to follow to dispose-off the expired pills in a rightful manner. You can dispose the pill without causing any harm to the environment. Moreover, as these pills are dangerous, it should not be at the reach of your children or pets at home. Therefore, you need to prioritize disposing the expired or unused drug at the earliest.

You can carefully go through the instructions printed on the pack on how to dispose the drug after its expiry date. Most medication labels have the disposal method printed on the pack.

You should avoid flushing the expired drug in your toilet; instead, you can mix the expired tablets with coffee grounds, unpalatable substances like dirt, or kitty litter. You can then place it in a sealed plastic trash bag and dispose it off with your household waste.

You need to check in the city or state you reside about the local drug take-back program. You can participate in the drug takeback programs that happen in your locality or neighborhood on a particular date and time where you can carry your expired or unused drug to authorized locations and handover the drugs to the authorities who will then recycle it or safely dispose the drug.

To get new drugs after disposing the expired pill, you can contact your healthcare provider requesting for a new prescription.

You should always consult with your healthcare professional or pharmacist regarding the appropriate use and storage of pills like Viagra. Your healthcare provider will guide you on how to store and use the drug. By going through the batch details of the medication, they can confirm whether the drug is safe and effective for use or not.

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Elizabeth

Elizabeth isn’t just a health writer—she’s your friendly guide to understanding men’s sexual wellness without all the medical jargon. With years of experience writing about topics like ED, confidence, and intimacy, she knows how to turn complex health info into something real, relatable, and useful.