The cold chain of insulin

[ajax]

The journey from the chemists back home ..is the 'warmest link' in the cold chain of insulin ..potentially putting it at risk of spoilage.

I feel a wave of relief when the carton of cartridges is cooling on the top shelf of my fridge door.

Insulin is ✻too precious✻ to be degraded by room temperature.

 

[Lucyr]

The journey from the chemists back home ..is the 'warmest link' in the cold chain of insulin ..potentially putting it at risk of spoilage.

I feel a wave of relief when the carton of cartridges is cooling on the top shelf of my fridge door.

Insulin is ✻too precious✻ to be degraded by room temperature.

It can be out of the fridge for a month, so if you live in the UK it will be fine on the journey home. If you live somewhere hotter take a coolbag if walking, or put the aircon on in the car if driving, for the journey home.

 

[Amity Island]

The journey from the chemists back home ..is the 'warmest link' in the cold chain of insulin ..potentially putting it at risk of spoilage.

I feel a wave of relief when the carton of cartridges is cooling on the top shelf of my fridge door.

Insulin is ✻too precious✻ to be degraded by room temperature.

Best to use a local chemist. A few minutes walk shouldn't be a problem.

 

[JJay]

Speaking as one whose pack of cartridges got left in husband’s coat pocket, hanging above a radiator, for over a week, and found nothing amiss with the insulin, I would say you don’t need to worry unless your chemist is somewhere near the Equator!

 

[rebrascora]

As said, nothing bad happens to your insulin out of the fridge, unless you leave it in baking heat like in a hot car or in a dark bag in full sun or on a windowsill. Yes, your spare insulin needs to go in the fridge if you are not going to use it within a month, but it will not degrade in that month out of the fridge and probably OK for several more weeks but isn't usually guaranteed beyond the time it stipulates... usually 28 days... as long as it isn't exposed to high temperatures like 30+.

Hopefully our responses will put your mind at rest and mean your trip back home from the pharmacy is a little less anxious!

 

[trophywench]

I have only once in my life opened a new box of insulin out of my own fridge, and found the insulin in the vials to be cloudy rather than transparent. OMG!! Fortunately I didn't actually need it that day, I'd just decided to get the empty one out of the pen after using the last dose of the previous basal insulin cartridge the previous night and waiting for husband to get himself ready to drive us both to work, taken teacups into kitchen and washed them up, just thought I'd do it while I had a minute and actually remembered. Decades ago, married to 1st husband, so last century!

Boots replaced the packet immediately and pharmacist rang their warehouse to tell em, while I was there. No home computers, internet and accessible to the hoi polloi Yellow Card scheme then!

 

[Bloden]

I left my insulin in a boiling hot car for a few hours recently and it hasn't been effected - I won't be doing that on a regular basis though (it was a brain-no-worky day - forgot all about my insulin!).

 

[helli]

Insulin is ✻too precious✻ to be degraded by room temperature.

For me, insulin is *too important* to leave it in the fridge when I go out, Therefore, once I start a vial (or cartridge) it will spend a couple of weeks out of the fridge.
There is no reason to keep it in the fridge all the time as explained above.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’m another who is pretty relaxed about my ‘in use’ vial being out of the fridge for 28 days.

Ironically, I’ve only had insulin degrade and become unusuable once that I can recall, and that was basal insulin in the fridge - but our fridge at that time was failing and occasionally warm when we opened it.

Took me ages to realise that the reason my Lantus was playing up (that time) was connected to our flaky fridge!