Abstract

Background: According to the product type, the date of expiration is set after manufacturing or after dispensing of the medication or after opening of the medication’s container.
Objective: The objective of the study was to assess practices and attitudes concerning unused, disposal, and expiration date of medications among Saudi population in the Northern Border Region of Saudi Arabia.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted during a period of 9 months from April 2019 to January 2020 on a random sample, all data were analyzed by means of descriptive analysis.
Results: The total number of people answered the questionnaire during the study period were 529, nearly all the participants (99%) keep medication in their homes at the study time. Only half of the participants (53%) were aware that expiry date on the bottle differs after bottle opening. About 24% of participants do not check the expiry date while purchasing medications. The main cause mentioned for not checking the expiry dates while purchasing medicines were that pharmacist already checked (71%), about half of study participants (56%) check the expiry date of stored medicines at the time of usage. About 34% and 41% of participants reported that if they buy eye/ear drops and ointment/cream respectively, they will keep it in bedroom. About 74% of study participants throw away expired medicine in household garbage as it is. Conclusion: It is obvious that Saudi people have a sufficient level of awareness of the expiry date of medication; however, their practices are poor. In light of the study findings, there is a great need to improve public awareness toward the storage and disposal of drugs and its bad consequences.