Does succinylcholine chloride expire?
The printed date covers the sealed pack. Once succinylcholine chloride is opened, mixed or diluted, its label sets a second and usually much shorter limit — quoted below, per product.
Shortest limit on any succinylcholine chloride label: 24 hours
“Store the diluted succinylcholine chloride solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8 °C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
That applies to the product it is printed on, not to every form of succinylcholine chloride — check which one you have against the list below.
What the labels say
“Store the diluted succinylcholine chloride solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8 °C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for Succinylcholine Chloride · DailyMed
“Store the diluted ANECTINE solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8°C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for Anectine · DailyMed
“Store the diluted succinylcholine chloride injection solution in a refrigerator [2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for Succinylcholine Chloride · DailyMed
“Store the diluted succinylcholine chloride injection solution in a refrigerator [2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for SUCCINYLCHOLINE CHLORIDE · DailyMed
“Store the diluted Succinylcholine Chloride solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8 °C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for Succinylcholine Chloride · DailyMed
“Store the diluted Succinylcholine Chloride Injection solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8 °C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for Succinylcholine Chloride · DailyMed
“Store the diluted succinylcholine chloride injection solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8 °C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for SUCCINYLCHOLINE CHLORIDE · DailyMed
“Store the diluted succinylcholine chloride solution in a refrigerator [2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
On the label for SUCCINYLCHOLINE CHLORIDE · DailyMed
“The multiple-dose vials are stable for up to 14 days at room temperature without significant loss of potency.”
On the label for Succinylcholine Chloride · DailyMed
“The multi-dose vials are stable for up to 14 days at room temperature without significant loss of potency.”
On the label for Anectine · DailyMed
“The single-dose pre-filled syringe are stable for up to 14 days at room temperature without significant loss of potency.”
On the label for SUCCINYLCHOLINE CHLORIDE · DailyMed
“The single-dose syringes are stable for up to 60 days at room temperature without significant loss of potency.”
On the label for Succinylcholine Chloride · DailyMed
How the label says to keep succinylcholine chloride
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 in refrigerator 2 °C to 8 °C (36 °F to 46 °F).”
- “Store succinylcholine chloride injection with the cap and ferrule intact and in a manner that minimizes the possibility of selecting the wrong product.”
- “Store the diluted succinylcholine chloride solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8 °C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
- “Store in refrigerator at 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F).”
- “Store ANECTINE with the cap and ferrule intact and in a manner that minimizes the possibility of selecting the wrong product ( 2.”
- “Store ANECTINE with the cap and ferrule intact and in a manner that minimizes the possibility of selecting the wrong product [see Warnings and Precautions (5.”
- “Store the diluted ANECTINE solution in a refrigerator [2 °C to 8°C (36 °F to 46 °F)] and use within 24 hours after preparation.”
Frequently asked questions
Does succinylcholine chloride 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 24 hours on some succinylcholine chloride products, and that is the number quoted on this page.
Can I still use succinylcholine chloride 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 succinylcholine chloride 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 succinylcholine chloride
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.