Expired Melafix

[skiltrip]

I have a bottle of MelaFix that expired 4/2006. I have a couple fish with fins that are a little damaged from roughhousing. I'd like to put some MelaFix in the water. Do you think the expired stuff is just not active anymore, would it hurt the fish. 99% of the ingredients seem to be inert. with 1% being Melaleuca.

Any advice about this expired bottle would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Lynz781]

Well I tend to think that things have an expiry date for a reason and therefore don't use/eat it after that date. But I couldn't say if an expired bottle of melafix would do any harm. I'd just buy another bottle. Or not treat at all which is what I tend to do. I hate meds

 

[skiltrip]

Well I tend to think that things have an expiry date for a reason and therefore don't use/eat it after that date. But I couldn't say if an expired bottle of melafix would do any harm. I'd just buy another bottle. Or not treat at all which is what I tend to do. I hate meds

good point, i usually don't med if i don't have to as well. i just happened to be reading through a post where people were raving about melafix and how it fixed there little fish up in a jiffy and all that jazz. so i said... OOH, i have some of that junk! but it was expired, so... think i'll just leave it alone. thanks for taking the time to respond though!

 

[OohFeeshy]

I wouldn't say there would be much of a problem using it, as it's just diluted tea tree oil.

 

[Lynz781]

No problemo I have to say I've never had any problems with melafix, it makes the water smell kinda nice But I've had lots of scary moments with meds so generally tend to stay away.

 

[Bignose]

But Ooo, and Lyn, it's expired. Like most medications, it has active molecules that slowly become inactive. This means the medication won't work like it should! And, among the worst things you can do is use only partially effective medictions, since all you will do is breed medication-resistant strains of the pathogen then. Then those resistant strains grow into a bigger problem and the medication wont work anymore.

Always discard expired all medications, for fish, for dogs, for cats, for people. That even includes things like expired sunscreen that will not work as well as it should after the expiration date. Medicines are something you should not be guessing with or taking chances with.

 

[Lynz781]

I know I never said use it in the first place.

 

[cs091]

If it was urgent I'd use something a little out of date - Say 4 months out of date if I'd had the bottle 4 years - but only because it would be better than nothing.

Things generally 'go off' over a period of time not overnight, but you would have to judge it against the problem you are trying to solve against how soon you can get a replacement.

CS

 

[guppymonkey]

I wouldn't rely on the expired melafix but its just tea tree oil. I think they are required to put an expiration date on medications even if they are herbal. I am not sure if tea tree oil really goes bad but it could be contaminated with bacteria or fungus or something after its expiration date. Thats the only thing I could think of.

 

[Bignose]

Thats the only thing I could think of.

That, or the active molecules that do what the medcine is supposed to do, become inactive. Exposure to heat, sunlight, and simply time will inactivate these molecules as they react with one another, with other things in the solution, with the bottle itself. There is a certain amount of time that these molecules can effectively do what you purchased them to do, that is why (as I stressed in my post above) all old medication should not be used and should be discarded.

 

[Lynden]

Thats the only thing I could think of.

That, or the active molecules that do what the medcine is supposed to do, become inactive. Exposure to heat, sunlight, and simply time will inactivate these molecules as they react with one another, with other things in the solution, with the bottle itself. There is a certain amount of time that these molecules can effectively do what you purchased them to do, that is why (as I stressed in my post above) all old medication should not be used and should be discarded.

It's just melalueca It couldn't possibly do any harm...

-Lynden

 

[Bignose]

Well, firstly, I didnt say it would do any harm. Secondly, when the active molecules react with all the other things in there, like the bottle or chelating agent or if melalueca degrades into something else because of heat, sunlight, or just time, are all these other basically unpredicable molecules it could become also harmless? At the very least, the active molecule has become ineffective, so it won't do anything at all. So, again, when it has expired, you should toss it.

 

[guppymonkey]

Someone should actually look into if tea tree oil goes bad. A lot of medications that are herbal in origin are forced to have expiration dates but have much longer shelf lives than what is stated. I am not suggesting trying old medications but if you wanted to experiment you could. Its not the greatest idea though but you don't have to do what anyone tells you to do, its not like its illegal. I just wouldn't suggest using expired meds as your main source of medication for your tank.

 

[Lynden]

Well, firstly, I didnt say it would do any harm. Secondly, when the active molecules react with all the other things in there, like the bottle or chelating agent or if melalueca degrades into something else because of heat, sunlight, or just time, are all these other basically unpredicable molecules it could become also harmless? At the very least, the active molecule has become ineffective, so it won't do anything at all. So, again, when it has expired, you should toss it.

I used some 3-month expired melafix the other day. It worked just fine. But I recently bought a new bottle, and it's expiring date is July 2009, which is more than three times the shelf-life of any other medications I have seen.



Oh me, oh my! I spoke to soon! My fish are growing arms and back-mounted laser cannons! They are going to destroy the world after they pick my burned flesh clean off my bones! The melalueca must have upgraded into a super-reactive ionic form of Promethium! Oh, the horror!



-Lynden

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

In my field I work with quite a few essential oils, and one thing that I have been educated on is that most pure essential oils have the tendancy to become more potent as they age. I'm not familier with the medicine in question but if it contains tea tree oil then I'd be concerned with that becoming stronger than origionally intended to be. If it's past the expiration date on anything medical you should toss it.