It’s 2 a.m. and as the first flush of fever hits, you head to the bathroom medicine cabinet in search of your favorite “nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, so-you-can-rest” elixir, guaranteed to ensure a good night’s sleep. But a squint at the bottle reveals that what you’re about to swallow expired during the Bush 41 administration.

Could a slurp hurt?

“Absolutely,” says Ripal Patel, pharmacist at the CVS in Dublin. “We need to respect the expiration dates. Over time the medication decomposes and it loses effectiveness, so you definitely don’t want to take anything that’s expired.”

Another way to ensure that meds do not lose their potency is to store them in a location that’s not exposed to fluctuating temperatures and moisture. A place, says Patel, other than the bathroom medicine cabinet, since tablets can congeal and liquids can lose their strength in high humidity. Instead, he advocates tucking it away in a cool, dry, dark area in the kitchen (away from the stove) or in the bedroom.

What can be left in the bathroom? Medications you use on a daily basis that have a short shelf life, as well as such first-aid items as bandages, gauze, antiseptic and anything that doesn’t have an expiration date.