Is It Safe to Take Expired Vitamins?

If you just realized that the daily vitamin you had been taking expired months ago, there’s no need to panic. The expiration date listed on vitamins is based on potency, not safety. As long as no mold grows on your vitamins, you can breathe easily. You might not reap the same benefit from those pills, but you also likely haven’t been risking your health.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require expiration dates on dietary supplements, including vitamins and minerals. Manufacturers may choose to print them on products—and if so, they may be phrased as “expires on,” “best by,” or “use by.”

If a manufacturer chooses to include a date, the FDA requires they have “valid data demonstrating that it is not false or misleading.” In other words, manufacturers should have internal research verifying that potency is maintained through that date.

Safety

Expired vitamins are safe to take. At the expiration date, the product should still contain 100% of the dietary supplement ingredients listed on the label as long as it is stored under the right conditions.

After such a date, those amounts can progressively decline. It’s no cause for concern over potential harm or side effects, but it does mean you may not get the specified dosage. You’re better off tossing them and replacing them with a new package.

One caveat to the above: If your expired vitamins have visible mold growth or a strange odor, that’s a red flag. They may be risky to consume due to microbiological contamination. Stop taking them and dispose of them properly.

When and Why Vitamins Expire

How quickly a vitamin expires depends on several factors—some related to manufacturing and others pertaining to your habits. Gummy vitamins and liquids tend to expire more quickly than tablets, capsules, and softgels, for instance.

Container

Some vitamins retain their potency longer in opaque containers versus those in clear containers due to the effect of UV rays from sunlight. Similarly, the type of cap—screw-on versus flip-top—may impact shelf life. If a flip-top cap does not create an appropriate seal when closed, vitamins are exposed to more humidity, which makes them break down more quickly.

Storage and Handling

If you store vitamins in a high-humidity area like a bathroom medicine cabinet, they may deteriorate more quickly. Similarly, avoid exposing them to a lot of light. A cool, dark cabinet is best for most products.

If you reach into the vitamin container every morning after getting the kids’ lunch ready, you could contaminate the bottle with food residue or bacterial particles and impact shelf-life. Only handle your supplements with clean hands.

Shelf-Life of Individual Vitamins

The shelf-life of vitamins may also depend on the type of vitamin. Some specific vitamins may break down more quickly.

Vitamin C is particularly susceptible to deliquescence, a process in which the vitamin starts to absorb some of the relative humidity in the air. As it absorbs moisture, it loses potency. If the product isn’t packaged correctly, or if you’re opening and closing the container frequently in a humid environment, the vitamins will break down more quickly. Research shows that after 12 months, vitamin C loses substantial potency.

When combined in a multivitamin that contains minerals, vitamin K may degrade more quickly. Thiamin is one of the more unstable B vitamins; thiamin is also affected by moisture via deliquescence. Keeping it away from humid environments is best.

Storing Your Vitamins

Storing your vitamins in a cool, dry place that doesn't get exposed to extreme temperatures or moisture is best. Some vitamins, especially liquid ones often do best in the refrigerator. Regardless, check the bottle of any supplement for recommendations of how to store it and follow them.

Company Policies on Expiration Dates

Because it’s not required by the FDA, each company will make its own decision regarding if and how to label expiration dates on vitamins. At the time of publishing, these are the policies of some of the most common supplement manufacturers:

• Centrum: All Centrum products are assigned an expiration date based on the least stable ingredient in the product. All ingredients should be present in the amount listed on the label until the last day of the month of expiration.
• NOW Foods: All NOW supplements have an expiration date printed on the package. If proper storage procedures are followed, products will retain full potency through this date.
• Swanson Vitamins: Products will either contain a best-by date or a manufacture date. If they contain a manufacture date, the company recommends that most products be consumed within two to three years of such date. Liquids and probiotics should be consumed within one year.
• Nature Made: Vitamins and other dietary supplements include an expiration date and potency is guaranteed through this date. The way the date is set varies based on the type of product.
• Priority One Nutritional Supplements: These do not currently contain expiration dates. The company states that it is working to authenticate expiration dates with stability testing. It currently recommends a two-year shelf life from the time of purchase.

Disposal of Expired Vitamins

Take an inventory of your vitamin stash. If you discover any expired bottles, dispose of them properly. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends the following steps to dispose of expired vitamins or other supplements:

The EPA does not recommend flushing expired vitamins down the toilet. The substances may pass through wastewater treatment plants and end up in lakes, rivers, or other sources of drinking water.

A Word From Verywell

While most vitamin and mineral supplements won't expire or go bad, they often do lose their potency. It's likely best practice to throw away any supplements you've had for a long time, over two years, or that you are unsure about. Check labels for storage instructions and best before dates to help guide you.