Insulin help (not refrigerated)

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jd89

jd89

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello! I have a question about not refrigerating insulin (novorapid, fiasp & degludec)
Over Christmas all of my insulin was removed from our fridge and left in our utility room (on top of the tumble dryer). I didn’t realise this until 4 days later when my cartridge needed changing. I’d picked up 3 months worth of my medication because on the 3rd of January I’m away for work for 3 months. I put my insulin back in the fridge as soon as I found it but I’m worried that it won’t last as long now as it was left in a fairly warm place.
Will it be ok? It’s back in the fridge now.
I’ve tried googling it but I just keep getting the same answer of ‘insulin will keep for 28 days unrefridgerated’ and my diabetes nurse is away on annual leave
Or does anyone know where I Might be able to get some information on this?
Thank you
 
It’s fine for 28 days out of the fridge. If it was only out for 4 days then it’s fine.
 
Thank you, but what about the other 2 months worth of insulin? Do I need to throw all of the boxes away after 28 days?
 
jd89 said:
Thank you, but what about the other 2 months worth of insulin? Do I need to throw all of the boxes away after 28 days?
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No, if they were only out of the fridge for 4 days then they are fine, just use as normal, they can be kept out of the fridge for a month, or kept in the fridge unopened until expiry date.
 
jd89 said:
Thank you, but what about the other 2 months worth of insulin? Do I need to throw all of the boxes away after 28 days?
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Only if you’ve kept them out of the fridge for the whole 28 days! If they are back in then they are fine.
And in fact insulin is more robust than the manufacturers let on, the 28 days is just a guideline. We’ve used it beyond that with no problems, the worst that can happen is that it will gradually lose its effectiveness.
 
As @Sally71 has said, the worst that can happen is that it may have degraded ever so slightly by the time you come to use it and mean you need a bit more. Was the tumble drier in use during this time, as the heat from that might perhaps be likely to degrade it a little bit more than if it was just at room temp. but I still wouldn't be overly concerned unless it got quite hot.
 
As both @Sally71 and @rebrascora have said the worst that would happen in that time is that the insulin would have less effect. As soon as the insulin was below 30 degrees it should be fine and within the 28 days the manufacturers say
 
rebrascora said:
As @Sally71 has said, the worst that can happen is that it may have degraded ever so slightly by the time you come to use it and mean you need a bit more. Was the tumble drier in use during this time, as the heat from that might perhaps be likely to degrade it a little bit more than if it was just at room temp. but I still wouldn't be overly concerned unless it got quite hot.
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Yes the drier would have been used a lot during this time as it was a very full house. My other concern is about the insulin not being as effective later on as I’m using it in a pump (so it’s responsible for both basal and bolus and the degludec is my backup, just in case something happens to my pump while I’m away)
 
My OH once collected a prescription for me and put the box of insulin cartridges in his coat pocket... which we then forgot about until 2 weeks later when we realised it was still there in the coat, which he hadn't worn since and had been hanging in the hall above a radiator all the time. The insulin was fine!
 
JJay said:
My OH once collected a prescription for me and put the box of insulin cartridges in his coat pocket... which we then forgot about until 2 weeks later when we realised it was still there in the coat, which he hadn't worn since and had been hanging in the hall above a radiator all the time. The insulin was fine!
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Oh dear! Glad your insulin was ok! Was it fine for a few months? (If you can remember!)
 
jd89 said:
Oh dear! Glad your insulin was ok! Was it fine for a few months? (If you can remember!)
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Yes, can't really remember how long it lasted but I did finish the box (5 cartridges)
 
jd89 said:
Thank you, but what about the other 2 months worth of insulin? Do I need to throw all of the boxes away after 28 days?
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Better to be cautious, explain mistake to gp surgery & they will issue new prescription for insulin whilst away, you could still keep current insulin & use when back home, so if it has degraded no big issue as you can order more from dr. That's what I'd do in your circumstances anyway.
 
Ok, I will go tomorrow when they reopen. I was really hoping it wouldn’t have to come to this but better to be safe than sorry. Thank you everyone for your help ❤️❤️❤️
 
As you’re going to be away replacing it seems like the best bet so you’re not dealing with issues when you’re not at home. As others have said it’s likely it will be fine if the room was warm but not if the insulin was directly on something that was hot. As we don’t know the exact circumstances you’re the best one to judge where that line lies. If you don’t get it replaced then knowing it may be less effective just means you can keep an eye on your numbers and boost your basal by a little if you see it being less effective. It’s worth reminding everyone in the family to check with you if they move your insulin.
 
natnu said:
If you’d insulin has been on top of a drier it’s been cooked well above 25 degrees. You need to call the hospital and explain and get an emergency script from your on call endo. There is no way your insulin will be good still having been baked.
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There should be no reason to call the hospital. Most of us have insulin on repeat prescription from our GP.
In an emergency, there should be an emergency pharmacy open on a bank holiday.
 
Hope you get it sorted @jd89 I’d also speak to whoever moved it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Did they know it was insulin?

As @nonethewiser says, normally I’d just leave it and keep an eye on the effectiveness but if you’re going away you need to be sure your insulin is ok.
 
Inka said:
Hope you get it sorted @jd89 I’d also speak to whoever moved it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Did they know it was insulin?

As @nonethewiser says, normally I’d just leave it and keep an eye on the effectiveness but if you’re going away you need to be sure your insulin is ok.
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I agree. I would stress that in my circumstances I would not have risked using it if I had not also had access to correctly stored supplies.

Hope it all works out for you @jd89
 
Inka said:
Hope you get it sorted @jd89 I’d also speak to whoever moved it to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Did they know it was insulin?

As @nonethewiser says, normally I’d just leave it and keep an eye on the effectiveness but if you’re going away you need to be sure your insulin is ok.
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yes, unfortunately they were pretty stressed out over the christmas period! (They wouldn't normally do this)
I did continue to use the insulin and it did become ineffective pretty quickly so I'm really glad I got the replacement prescription. Thank you so much everyone for your advice
 
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