Good question, according to this comprehensive article on flagyl, shelf life is 2 years from date of manufacture, if product is stored at below 25 degrees Celsius and kept out of the light.

http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/pro...idazolebaxterinf.pdf

You would need to know time lag between when the product was manufactured and when it was shipped to the pharmacy for your consumption.

As long as it is stored correctly, I would expect it to be good for at least a decade. The "use by" dates are fairly arbitrary dates where the drug company guarantees the potency and safety. Tetracycline and liquid antibiotics are an exception. If it is a critical or life-and-death thing, it might matter (like with sublingual nitroglycerine tablets for chest pain). But a slight decrease in potency for most drugs should not matter much. If you are using old stock of antibiotics and do not get some results in a few days, then maybe it is time for the fresh batch. It is mostly up to your own level of concern, but mainly, it won't hurt you to take it well past the expiration date.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/...es/update1103a.shtml

Jan

Thanks! These are good guidelines. I know many meds are good months or even years past their expiry date (i.e. Tylenol, imodium, etc), but I was aware that certain antibiotics had shorter shelf lives so I wasn't sure if flagyl was in that group. But good news. No reason to pitch anything out prematurely.