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Keeping Insulin Cool Issue

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Sambradley5

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hiya guys!

I'm a newly T1 Diabetic diagnosed in late march this year. Since leaving hospital I have been prescribed with NovaRapid Pen for my meals. From what I have been told and read online its always good to keep the pen cold. I have Pen cooler packs but I was wondering if I always have to keep the pen cold. I don't always want to be carrying around a backpack and the pen cooler pack wont fit in a small messenger bag. If I went out for a day for around 8-10 hours, would it be fine for me to not have to carry a Cooler/ Ice pack? Just need some views on this as dont always want to wear a backpack!


Thank you so much in advance!

- Sam​
 
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Insulin keeps OK (as long as it isn't in eg 30 degree heat) out of the fridge for approx 28 days Sam. Girls chuck em in their handbags.

Check out Frio products though! All you need to activate them is water, and they keep what's inside them cool by evaporation. They certainly used to do a 2 pen size one, but not sure now. Also dunno current prices but they last years! Eventually the gel granules inside them get far too dehydrated and gritty - just remembered the correct word - dessicated! - so have to be slung and buy a new one.
 
Your spare insulin should be kept in the fridge until you use it, but the in use one is fine to be kept at room temperature. So it's quite safe just in your pocket or a bag. Frio bags are good if you are going on a long journey or are going somewhere where it might be very hot, but I don’t know anyone who uses them every day.
 
Welcome to the forum @Sambradley5

Yes there generally is no need to carry your ‘in use’ insulin pens in a coolpack, unless you are in extreme temperatures. This means that in the UK you can generally just carry them as they are.

You wouldn’t want to keep them on a sunny window sill, or in a hot car, but the general ambient temperature in Northern Europe means that ice packs and cooling bags aren’t routinely necessary. Though many people do like Frio pouches for transporting ‘spare’ insulin, eg when going on holiday.
 
Welcome to the forum @Sambradley5.

As others have said don`t over concern yourself about your in use pen keep the others in the fridge.
Where I live the temperature can go over 30.C (Devon), as long as my insulin bag is kept out of the direct
heat never had a problem.
 
Have a look at the leaflet that comes with the NovoRapid. It says it's OK to keep the pen in use at or below 25 deg C and use within 4 weeks.
 
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