Insulin temperatures

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Evergreen

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Type 1.5 LADA
Hello everyone!

I just had a quick question, hopefully someone has some wisdom 🙂 sorry if this is a bit of a weird one!

I am currently on Abasaglar and will start Novorapid this week. This cold weather has made me think about how to keep the insulin stored however. I know to keep the insulin at temperatures below 30 degrees, but was wondering about the cold weather at the moment. I often walk to work carrying my insulin in my bag. Would this harm the insulin? And would it be a good idea to buy a Frio pack or something if that can keep the temp a little more regular?

Thank you!
 
Evergreen said:
I often walk to work carrying my insulin in my bag. Would this harm the insulin?
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Probably not. Or not enough to matter much. We definitely want to avoid it freezing (and much below 4 degrees isn't great, I think), but above freezing it's a question of how cold for how long. A Frio pouch isn't really the right kind of thing, though I guess it would provide a bit of a buffer (in the form of the water).

If it gets cold enough to worry about, carry the insulin in your pocket (presuming you have a coat or something with a pocket), so closer to your body. (I've done that sometimes when on holiday in Iceland and Norway.) Or carry a bottle of water in your bag next to your insulin.
 
Bruce Stephens said:
Probably not. Or not enough to matter much. We definitely want to avoid it freezing (and much below 4 degrees isn't great, I think), but above freezing it's a question of how cold for how long. A Frio pouch isn't really the right kind of thing, though I guess it would provide a bit of a buffer (in the form of the water).

If it gets cold enough to worry about, carry the insulin in your pocket (presuming you have a coat or something with a pocket), so closer to your body. (I've done that sometimes when on holiday in Iceland and Norway.) Or carry a bottle of water in your bag next to your insulin.
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Or pop your insulin pen into a room temperature thermos flask?
 
Bruce Stephens said:
Or anything suitably insulated. (The only cold bags I have are just too big to be useful, unfortunately. Like the thermos flasks.)
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Or a cheap, cheerful and easy to carry small jiffy bag.

During the space race in the 1960s the US spent a fortune inventing a pen that would work in weightless conditions. The Soviet Union more austere approach meant they took pencils into space!
 
Do NOT use Frio to keep insulin from getting too cold.
Frio does not provide insulation. It cools through water evaporation. So, if you use it when it is cold, it could freeze and make the insulin colder.

I do not worry about carry insulin in my bag for short trips. However, if I was spending an hour or more outside, I would place my insulin pens in an inside coat pocket. Unfortunately, few women's jackets contain inside pockets. In which case, I either use the pocket of a cardigan, put my bag under my jacket or find a conveniently located male friend/partner.
 
Hi everyone, thank you so much for all the replies! I can’t believe how I didn’t just think to put the insulin in my pocket! That seems like the easiest option!

Just on the FRIO pouches, as it’s Christmas, are they generally a good idea? Or are there any pouches better?
 
I hadn't really considered this....
When I am walking my insulin is in my little rucksack handbag on my back and I would be shocked if it didn't get enough heat from my back, even through thick clothing/coat to keep from freezing. Recently however I have been hanging my bag up in the feed room at the stables and just taking my Libre reader phone and JBs with me so the bag has been hung up in an unheated outbuilding for at least a couple of hours at a time twice a day. So far the temp in the building hasn't dropped below freezing because water is still liquid in there, even when the outside tap and ground is frozen solid, but I will have to give more thought to it if it gets much colder.
 
Last week when I was hiking in the Lake District, I made sure my insulin was in the pocket of my rucksack which lays against my back. I’m a hot bod! Otherwise definitely a pocket close to your body. Or wrap it in something like a sock, which is what I did with my Libre reader/BG meter ( neither like the cold) before I used my phone.
 
Evergreen said:
Just on the FRIO pouches, as it’s Christmas, are they generally a good idea? Or are there any pouches better?
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I think they're good. Mostly not needed in the UK but it does get hot here now and again. I'm not aware of any better alternatives.
 
eggyg said:
Last week when I was hiking in the Lake District, I made sure my insulin was in the pocket of my rucksack which lays against my back. I’m a hot bod! Otherwise definitely a pocket close to your body. Or wrap it in something like a sock, which is what I did with my Libre reader/BG meter ( neither like the cold) before I used my phone.
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I find the Libre reader has been fine in the cold, i think possible because it has rechargable batteries. My Caresens BG meter on the other hand is totally useless if I am outside at this time of year or even in the house next to the bed at night. I need to put it on a storage heater for a few minutes to get some life into it to test. I really dislike the thing but so far have failed to get my consultant to prescribe me Libre test strips. The number of test strips the Caresens wastes because it cuts out half way through sampling is ridiculous and this is my second one after I complained to the manufacturer about the first one doing it. I suppose it might work better if I replaced the batteries every few weeks, but that is wasteful and not environmentally and it has been limping along like this for years because if I warm it up, it works fine. Grr!!
 
rebrascora said:
I find the Libre reader has been fine in the cold, i think possible because it has rechargable batteries. My Caresens BG meter on the other hand is totally useless if I am outside at this time of year or even in the house next to the bed at night. I need to put it on a storage heater for a few minutes to get some life into it to test. I really dislike the thing but so far have failed to get my consultant to prescribe me Libre test strips. The number of test strips the Caresens wastes because it cuts out half way through sampling is ridiculous and this is my second one after I complained to the manufacturer about the first one doing it. I suppose it might work better if I replaced the batteries every few weeks, but that is wasteful and not environmentally and it has been limping along like this for years because if I warm it up, it works fine. Grr!!
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I think my test strp meter (Finestest) only works down to 15 degrees which is an issue if outdoors but you can stick it under your arm to warm up. It has a temp read out on it so you can check
 
rebrascora said:
My Caresens BG meter on the other hand is totally useless if I am outside at this time of year or even in the house next to the bed at night.
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I presume with test strips there's some element of temperature on the chemistry too. (Just because your Libre meter works when scanning doesn't imply that the test strips would work.)
 
Tdm said:
I think my test strp meter (Finestest) only works down to 15 degrees which is an issue if outdoors but you can stick it under your arm to warm up. It has a temp read out on it so you can check
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Yes, mine goes down my bra for a few minutes to revive it. I haven't noticed a temp readout on my Caresens and sometimes if I am hypo I really don't want to have to waste another few minutes for it to warm up, particularly when if I am out shopping and get back to the car and Libre says I am hypo but it usually reads 1mmol lower than finger prick and I don't feel hypo but if my levels are dropping fast I want to get carbs into me before it does drop too low, but need to finger prick test first, otherwise I am stranded in the car park with shopping for an hour. It is just a minor frustration, but when the Libre reader works fine at that temp, the BG meter should be able to as well.
 
Evergreen said:
Just on the FRIO pouches, as it’s Christmas, are they generally a good idea? Or are there any pouches better?
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Frio are the most popular pouches for keeping insulin COOL.
They are fantastic because they work with just water and do not require cold water.
I have used them when walking and camping in hot temperatures such as the Sahara and India.

They are not designed to keep insulin (or anything else) warm in the cold.
They do not work through insulation.

If you want something to keep insulin from getting too cold, you need insulation such as a pocket or wrapping your insulin in a sock, for example.
 
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helli said:
Frio are the most popular pouches for keeping insulin COOL.
They are fantastic because they work with just water and do not require cold water.
I have used them when walking and camoping in hot temperatures such as the Sahara.

They are not designed to keep insulin (or anything else) warm in the cold.
They do not work through insulation.

If you want something to keep insulin from getting too cold, you need insulation such as a pocket or wrapping your insulin in a sock, for example.
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Yes, perfect! I think I’ll just put the pens in my pocket when I go my walks in cold weather. Might put a Frio on my Christmas list for summer! 🙂
 
Bruce Stephens said:
I presume with test strips there's some element of temperature on the chemistry too. (Just because your Libre meter works when scanning doesn't imply that the test strips would work.)
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My blood tends to be a pretty standard temp so I am not sure that should impact it.
My gut feeling is that the disposable button batteries are less reliable in cold conditions. I know I have had the sensor fail to give a reading when I have had bare arms in the winter out working or exercising, but the reader has always been keen to try and if I warm the sensor up with my hand it then gives a reading so I am pretty sure the reader is fine at low temps. That said, I have not had the opportunity to try it with test strips. Maybe I need to invest in a pot, since I can't manage to get them prescribed. If they are no better than the Caresens then I will forget it but if they work well, I will continue to push for them instead of the Caresens.
 
Pockets would be fine. Just don’t leave your insulin anywhere where it might get cold enough to freeze.

That’s why you should keep insulin in hand luggage rather than the hold of an aircraft 🙂
 
I carry a backpack and DSN advice (as I spend a lot of time outdoors all year round) was to use a small insulated lunch/sandwich bag (room temp in winter). I find it keeps the insulin at safe temp/doesn’t ruin. Especially with it being so cold out.
In the summer I put ONLY the bag in the fridge over night (pack everything as normal in the morning) to stop the insulin getting too hot/ruined.
So far (fingers crossed) I’ve found it works fairly well.
Should add- in both winter/summer I just pack everything into the wee bag (meter and all) and put it in my backpack)
 
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