Does pilocarpine expire?
The printed date covers the sealed pack. Once pilocarpine is opened, mixed or diluted, its label sets a second and usually much shorter limit — quoted below, per product.
Shortest limit on any pilocarpine label: 30 days
“Once a pouch is open, the single-patient-use vials may be stored at room temperature [up to 77°F (25°C)] and used within 30 days.”
That applies to the product it is printed on, not to every form of pilocarpine — check which one you have against the list below.
What the labels say
“Once a pouch is open, the single-patient-use vials may be stored at room temperature [up to 77°F (25°C)] and used within 30 days.”
On the label for Qlosi · DailyMed
How the label says to keep pilocarpine
Storage is the other half of the question: the stability behind any date assumes these conditions, and a medicine kept outside them ages faster than the calendar says.
- “Store at 20°- 25°C(68°-77°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature].”
- “Store at 15º to 25°C (59º to 77°F) and protect from freezing.”
- “Store at 20 o to 25 o C (68 o to 77 o F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature].”
- “Store refrigerated at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C).”
- “Store unused product away from light.”
- “Information Store refrigerated at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C).”
- “Store at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F), excursions permitted between 15°C and 30°C (59°F and 86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature].”
Frequently asked questions
Does pilocarpine expire?
Two different clocks apply and only one of them is the printed date. The date on a sealed pack is the manufacturer's guarantee for the unopened product. Once it is opened, mixed or diluted, the label imposes its own limit — as tight as 30 days on some pilocarpine products, and that is the number quoted on this page.
Can I still use pilocarpine after the date on the box?
This page cannot tell you that, and nor can any page. The FDA's own shelf-life programme found 88% of tested lots stayed within specification at least a year past expiry — and concluded in the same breath that lot-to-lot variation means this can only be confirmed by testing each lot. What you can check at home is the in-use limit above and whether the product has been stored as the label requires. Ask a pharmacist about a specific pack; they will also dispose of what you no longer need.
Why do different pilocarpine products have different limits?
Because they are different formulations. A suspension that gets mixed with water, a pen that gets carried at room temperature, and a sealed tablet do not behave alike, so each manufacturer's label sets its own limit and each is shown here with the product it belongs to. We never merge them into one number for the molecule.
More on pilocarpine
Quoted from FDA labels for reference, not medical advice, and not a suggestion to use anything past its limit. If you are unsure whether a pack is still good, a pharmacist can tell you and can dispose of it safely.