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A female asked:

Tums (calcium carbonate) expired can i take them?

5 doctor answers6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Louise Andrew
A Verified Doctoranswered
Emergency Medicine 48 years experience
Sure: Military studies have shown that most medications are good for years to decades beyond the expiration date, though they may slowly lose efficacy over time. (One exception may be tetracycline, but who uses that anymore?) You just may need to take TWO Tums (calcium carbonate) to control your symptoms. Obviously if a medicine looks or smells very different from when you last used it, it could have degraded.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Robert Uyeda
General Surgery 47 years experience
Depends on how: old they are and how they were stored. If it has expired recently and has been stored properly, they should be ok. But if you are not sure, you should discard them and get new ones.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. James Ferguson
Pediatrics 48 years experience
HOW LONG?: This type of med can retain some benefit for a year or more after their expire date.The date is more an assurance of strength than anything else, but over time the med may break down.If the pills look okay and you are within a year or so, go ahead. Put them on your shopping list for some future shopping trip.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. David Lipkin
Internal Medicine 54 years experience
See below: If I needed Tums, (calcium carbonate) and they were expired, I would likely take them and go buy a fresh pack for further use. The older they are probably the less effective they are. Having said that, I can't officially condone taking any expired medication. For advice I suggest you consult your physician.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Diane Minich
Family Medicine 39 years experience
Best not to: How long expired? If a day or 2 ok but should get new tums (calcium carbonate).
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Glenn Burns
Dr. Glenn Burns commented
Emergency Medicine 21 years experience
Most medications lose potency with time. A few actually gain potency, but tums are not one of these. I agree, it's generally a good idea to honor the expiration dates.
Oct 7, 2015

Similar questions

A 39-year-old member asked:

Can i take Tums (calcium carbonate) if on warfarin?

1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Calvin Weisberger
53 years experience
Warfarin: You can take Tums (calcium carbonate) if you are on warfarin.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 21-year-old member asked:

Can I take citalopram with tums (calcium carbonate)?

2 doctor answers7 doctors weighed in
Dr. Michio Abe
Internal Medicine 28 years experience
Citalopram & Tums (calcium carbonate): They don't have any known significant interaction between the two.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 49-year-old member asked:

Can i take zithromax with tums (calcium carbonate)?

1 doctor answer3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Heidi Fowler
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Drug Interaction: Checker showed no significant interactions between Tums (calcium carbonate) and zithromax. Take care.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Gilbert, AZ
A 42-year-old female asked:

Can i take Tums (calcium carbonate) for frequent burping?

1 doctor answer2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Scott Diede
A Verified Doctoranswered
31 years experience
Yes: Taking Tums (calcium carbonate) for frequent burping may help and will not be harmful.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 42-year-old member asked:

Can you take Tums (calcium carbonate) with pepto bismol?

1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Heidi Fowler
Psychiatry 27 years experience
Yes: Pepto-bismol ; Tums (calcium carbonate) don’t interact per drug interactions checker.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

Related questions

A 42-year-old member asked:
Is it bad to take Tums (calcium carbonate) every day?
Dr. You Sung Sang
Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 33 years experience
Possibly: Taking in too much Tums (calcium carbonate) can greatly increase your serum calcium levels which can be dangerous. Make sure you discuss with your do... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A member asked:
Hi, can u take tums (calcium carbonate) aswell as lansoprozol?
Dr. Nayana Trivedi
Internal Medicine 41 years experience
Yes.: Tums (calcium carbonate) is calcium. And LAnzoprazole is Acid reducer
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
View all answers
A 52-year-old male asked:
Is it ok to take 1-2 TUMS (calcium carbonate) everyday for acidity?
Dr. Luis Taylor
A Verified Doctoranswered
Pulmonology 41 years experience
Yes, for mild: heartburn. But if not improved , see an internists for diagnostics.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 35-year-old member asked:
Is there a problem if I take four Tums (calcium carbonate) at one time?
Dr. Michael Sparacino
Family Medicine 39 years experience
Careful: Not if your taking it under the supervision of a physician.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 38-year-old member asked:
Can my 4 year old take 2 adult Tums (calcium carbonate) in a day?
Dr. James Ferguson
Pediatrics 48 years experience
Should be fine: I have occasionally put a kid that age on that dose to benefit from the calcium in the tablet. It will not hurt a 4yo.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Last updated Feb 7, 2021

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