A couple of days ago I realised that my Tresiba had expired 2 months ago. Checking back, it was prescribed at the end of December, so only had a 4 month shelf life. I only take 6 units a day, so had only just started using the 2nd pen, so I’ve had to dispose of 2 full pens. What’s waste. I asked my nurse to reduce my prescription to 2 pens, and the new ones have an expiry date of june 26. I think the insulin was still ok as I’ve had no problems with my blood sugar recently. But note to myself, check the dates before you accept them !
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Expired insulin
- Thread starter louisew
- Start date
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
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- Type 1
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- She/Her
If it had been me, I would have just used them rather than waste them. The only likely consequence is that they might be a little bit less effective and if you were already using them and not noticed any difference then I would have continued.
I am the same with food best before and indeed use by dates. I use my own judgement.
I am the same with food best before and indeed use by dates. I use my own judgement.
I did google it and it said not to use it. The last pen lasted me 6 months so it would have been 6months over the date and the 2nd one would have been a year over by the time i’d used it. The dates are presumably there for a reason. I don’t use any other drugs past their sell by date. I use food past sell by date because I can tell by taste, sight or smell, but i can’t with drugs
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hardly a rash decision @louisew in my view. I'm all for not wasting anything usually but simply, sometimes circumstances do conspire against that desire.
(much like certain things being labelled as recyclable when you would have to have the room at home to save enough of whatever in order to justify the effort and/or expense of making a special journey to wherever it is that accepts that thing.)
(much like certain things being labelled as recyclable when you would have to have the room at home to save enough of whatever in order to justify the effort and/or expense of making a special journey to wherever it is that accepts that thing.)
Ooh I’m so precious about recycling. Luckily my local council collect card paper time glass garden waste, and the rest I donate, or take to the dump for recycling. Meds and blister packs to superdrug, glasses to specsavers, soft plastic to sainsburys etc. I do recycle those insulin pens too.