Filling USA insulin prescrip while in UK

[everydayupsanddowns]

Tina - insulin for pumps comes in vials rather than cartridges (10ml). I guess as a T2 the OP may be on slightly higher doses too? Possibly better to be prepared to have access to too much rather than too little? On a family holiday in France years ago I ran very short of insulin in the last few days and ended up having to go and get some from a French GP, which I remember was quite expensive.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

A "shedload" huh! That's the most charitable way I've seen that word spelled or heard it pronounced!

I'm still curious, though, about the issue of keeping it viable medically past the "28 day sell by" date once it reached room temp. Are you saying it just worked out ok? I'm not sure I'm willing to take that chance with my own body and my own life!

Hi Tom,
in all honesty you are worrying about nothing.
When I first left home all I had was a bed and a chair for my new home.
There was no fridge at all. This lasted for 4 mths until I had a fridge my insulin was kept in a thermos flask with a couple of ice cubes borrowed from my neighbour. I always picked up 6 mths worth of insulin in one go and nothing went wrong at all with it.
I use one vial of insulin every 8 weeks and I'm sure not going to waste it by chucking it out.

So stop worrying and enjoy your holiday 🙂

 

[HelenM]

I think that you would do exactly the same as I would do if I ran out of insulin in the UK (I live in France normally). I would get an appointment with a GP as a temp resident and then fill the prescription at the chemists. In my case I would be able to use a European card whereas you would have to pay. I am totally sure that GPs in a city full of overseas visitors would be accustomed to this (and in fact all GPs are set up for private payment as they would normally charge for things like insurance medical forms/travel vaccinations etc)

Personally, I don't see the necessity. I use a frio for travelling both in the heat of summer and in the winter.
Depending on how we travel this means my insulin is in the frio for up to 48 hours. When I go to the UK, I often don't know how long I will have to stay ( I have elderly parents) I may need to be there for 3 months or longer so take more than enough with me.
It goes from the frio into the fridge on arrival. Some will come out again when I visit other relations within the UK, I put it into the frio and into their fridge when I get there etc. I never travel without at least an extra vial, just in case of an accident with the in use vial.
Similarly when I go on backpacking trips I take a spare vial with me. This insulin will stay in the frio for 10 days or more. The spare vial goes back into the fridge when I get home and is used when the old one runs out.
I have never had a problem of insulin becoming less potent (except within the reservoir in extremely hot weather but that's a different matter)

Actually, I have never thought to throw away the last bit of an in use vial and a vial lasts me more than a month.

My biggest concern when travelling is not the temperature in the Frio but the possibility of a hotel fridge being too cold. This will denaturate the insulin.

 

[MaryPlain]

You state about possibly needing a second prescription before leaving Cambridge. I can't speak about pump insulin, but all the insulin types my son has come in packs of 5 x 300 unit vials/pens. Therefore, to my mind, if pump insulin is packaged the same, you will have 5 vials on one prescription, 5 x 300 units, so more than ample I would have thought?

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

I think you mean cartridges - vials usually hold 10 ml (1000 units) and come in ones.