The nurse is preparing a medication for a client and observes the date of expiration on the vial occurred 2 months ago. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

A. Discard the medication: If a medication is past its expiration date, it should be discarded. Medications lose their potency and effectiveness over time, and using expired medication could be ineffective or unsafe for the client. B. Return the medication to the pharmacy: Returning expired medication to the pharmacy is not an appropriate action. Expired medications should be safely discarded according to facility policy. C. Notify the provider: While it's always important to keep the provider informed, notifying them in this case is unnecessary unless the expired medication has been administered. The nurse should simply discard the expired medication and obtain a new supply. D. Give the medication: Administering expired medication is unsafe and should be avoided, as it may not have the desired therapeutic effect. The medication should be discarded, and a new, unexpired supply should be used.